


A New Name

by huntersg1rl



Series: New Beginnings [2]
Category: Haikyuu!!, Supernatural
Genre: But he's not all that bad, But it doesn't happen often here, F/M, Family Drama, Flashbacks, Fluff and Angst, I promise, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Implied/Referenced Suicide, It's almost all happy, Just an angsty teen, Kind of Evil Oikawa, M/M, My OC has a habit of beating up people she doesn't like, Mystery, Non-Graphic Violence, Original Female Character - Freeform, Panic Attacks, but it's mostly fluff, everyone ends up happy, panic attacks and flashbacks are vague
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-27
Updated: 2019-04-10
Packaged: 2019-05-14 06:40:41
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 26
Words: 29,965
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14764556
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/huntersg1rl/pseuds/huntersg1rl
Summary: After discovering her mother was alive, Winnie Jackson, formerly known as Ava Winchester, moves to Japan to find her and bring her back to the states to face justice. But all Winnie has to go on is some old information, so she decides to enroll in high school to finish what she never got to. She attends Karasuno as a third year and is encouraged to join a club and, well, can you guess which one she chooses?*This can be read as a stand alone, but there is a first in the series, if you so choose.**I'll try to update once a week, but once I get through the (40+) chapters I already wrote, it might get a bit iffy. It might be a little off before that, too. I'm kind of spacey sometimes.***Marked as a crossover, but it only mentions a few Supernatural characters in passing. You do not need to know Supernatural to read this.Summary Edited: 1/12/19





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This story is a fic that adds one of my OC’s to Haikyuu!! I used this particular OC in a previous fic based on the TV show Supernatural. That will not really affect the fic as most of the characters from Supernatural will only be mentioned in passing. As for the monsters, they will be explained in the context of the fic. Everything that occured in the previous fic will be explained in full, so if you do not know Supernatural or want to read the previous fic, you will not necessarily need to, although it would not be a bad idea to do so.
> 
> Really, though, guys, this can be read as a standalone! And the other should make sense even if you haven't seen Supernatural. I try to write so anyone can read my work if they so choose.

I cross through security, not allowing myself to look back at my brothers. I’ve only known them a short time, but they’re more family than I’ve ever had, so leaving them hurts just as much now as it did the last time. Just six months ago, I left home to protect my brothers from my stalker. It worked out and allowed me to learn that my mom is actually alive and living in Japan. Hence, my decision to leave once again. I need to confront my mom. 

There’s one major problem with the whole situation- I don’t know the name my mom is living under. I was only able to find out the general area where she’s living. So I have to go and search for her person by person. It’s going to be a long process and I don’t exactly relish it.

Hence, I’ve purchased an apartment and am enrolled in high school, allowing me to make up the year I missed while I was gone.

My name is Ava Winchester and I’m nineteen years old and as of this moment, that is the last time for a long time that I’ll be able to refer to myself as that. I have to go under a fake name in Japan. There, I will be eighteen year old Winnie Jackson. The essential details of my life haven’t changed. I’m still from Kansas, have two older brothers and no parents. Basically, I’m Ava with a different name and age. It’s scary to think about, but this won’t be the first time I go by Winnie, so I hope it won’t take me long to adjust.

My biggest concern about this move, of course, was the language barrier. Thankfully, my brother’s best friend is an angel and has the capability to transfer necessary information into my mind. He gave me the Japanese language. With that taken care of, I technically have nothing to worry about. 

“Flight 3027 to Tokyo is now boarding,” a voice blares through the intercom. I rise, slinging my small backpack over my shoulder. All my things are already in my apartment, thanks to Castiel’s ability to travel anywhere in the world practically instantaneously. It always gives me a massive stomach ache, but it’s worth it. That, and Cas is also able to take away the stomach ache instantly, so it’s no problem. I had wanted Cas to just drop me off, but then I remembered that I do actually need to have a record of entering the country, so a plane it is. Gross.

It is, of course, cramped and uncomfortable and smelly. I got a middle seat, which exemplifies my luck perfectly. I have to be on here for sixteen hours and the sleeping pill I have only lasts for twelve, so I have to stay awake for four. I’m planning on two now and two later.

To pass those long four hours, I’ve brought one of my favorite books- Alice in Wonderland- and plenty of snacks. I’d say before I know it, we’ve landed, but that’d be a lie. I’m fidgety and impatient the entire time I’m awake. Somehow, I manage to survive, make my way through security, and onto the streets of Tokyo.

I won’t be living in Tokyo, so after the sixteen hours cooped up on a plane, I get to spend another three on a train on my way to Miyagi. Words cannot express how utterly excited I am.

“And let’s not forget that I have school tomorrow, too,” I grumble under my breath as I board the train. No one notices, and I said it in English, so I just move to my seat and wait.

By the time I reach Miyagi, I’m ready to jump off the train and run to my new apartment. Pity I have almost no clue how to get to it from the station. I know what the streets surrounding it look like, but nothing more than that. However, as I walk down the street, following the map my phone supplied me with, I notice a school on my right. Karasuno High, my future high school. I don’t know how I feel about being in school again- plus, they have uniforms.

After about twenty more minutes of walking, I find the apartment building and let myself into my new house. It’s nothing like home, but I treat it the same, nonetheless, leaving my shoes dropped haphazardly, tossing my bag onto the nearest couch, and making a beeline for the shower. No way in hell do I wake up early enough to shower before school tomorrow.

With my hair done in neat, matching French braids, my uniform laid out, and alarm set, I curl up in the new bed covered in plush pillows and fluffy blankets. 

I absolutely hate first days.


	2. Chapter 2

_ Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. _

I let out a low groan. I definitely did not get enough sleep last night. The traveling wore me out enough to sleep through the night, a rare occurrence in and of itself, but I still only caught five hours. What a great way to start my first day back in school.

My fingers seek out my phone and pull up the weather app. It was really nice out yesterday, but living in a new place, I don’t want to make any assumptions about the weather. After confirming that it would, in fact, be nice enough out to not wear full nylons, I get moving through my morning routine. Bathroom, get dressed, make up, breakfast, brush teeth. Forty-five minutes after waking up, I slip into a plain pair of flats, grab my bookbag, and hurry out the door. The twenty minute walk should be enough for me to mentally prepare to start a new school.

And that’s how I find myself standing in the vice-principal’s office, receiving a speech about how amazing their school is and how I’ll be expected to upkeep that excellence. Then, I get even worse news. I’ll have to take exams to determine my class placement. I haven’t been in school for a year! How am I going to manage to not look totally stupid?

“Now, if you’ll just follow me, Jackson-kun, I’ll lead you to your exam room. Takeda-sensei will be administering the exams, so if there are any problems, please inform him.” With that, he leaves me standing outside the door, not even giving me a chance to tell him to call me Winnie. I don’t think I’ll ever get used to the last-name thing. I lift a hand and knock on the door.

“Excuse me,” I call softly, sliding it open halfway, “I’m looking for Takeda-sensei?” A man with black hair and a baby face runs over to me.

“You must be the new student, Jackson-san! Please, come in. I’ll be giving you your placement exams. Please, don’t stress too much about them, they’re really just a formality.” He keeps chattering and I feel my eyes getting bigger and bigger with every sentence he says without pausing for breath. Finally, he does.

“Sorry, sensei, but please, just call me Winnie,” I force myself to flash a friendly smile, “I’ll really never get used to being addressed by my family name.”

“O-of course, Winnie-san. Well, then, would you like to get started? This shouldn’t take too long, the tests themselves are rather short.” So you say. But, and I know I’m getting redundant here, I haven’t done any schooling in a year. My gut is screaming that this is not going to go well. Well, that, or it’s telling me that I’m really, really nervous about starting school in a new country. To be honest, it’s probably a mix of both.

“Since you’re the only one taking the exams, I’ll allow you to move at  your own pace. You’ll have three hours to finish them all, alright? You can begin whenever you’re ready. When you finish an exam, just hand it to me and I’ll begin scoring it. All I ask is that once you start one, please finish it before moving on.”

“Of course, thank you very much.” In front of me are exams for math, science, social studies, Japanese, and English. I lift the English one first. Might as well get the easy one out of the way. It takes me barely fifteen minutes to finish, and most of that is just writing time. I choose Japanese next. It has a short written section and a passage to read and answer questions on. Again, not very difficult for me, seeing as it’s basically what an English exam would have looked like at home. The last three, though, I know are going to be difficult. And I’ve only got two hours, fifteen minutes to get through them. I feel like math is the most cut and dry, so I choose to force myself through that one next. Out of the corner of my eye, as I set to work on the science exam, I can see Takeda marking my math exam and I am struggling to focus. Let’s just say math was never my best subject. Not that science was either. Still, I turn that one in, leaving myself forty-five minutes to try to get through the social studies exam. It’s literally Japan’s history. I know nothing. I’m from the States, for crying out loud! How am I supposed to know any of this. My fingers scrub across my eyebrow and I work through the questions, making my best guess on more than I’d care to admit. 

“Well done, Winnie,” Takeda says once he’s finished grading, “You scored very high on most of them. Social Studies was a bit of a low score, however.”

“I kind of saw that one coming,” I reply with a dry chuckle.

“I suppose it makes sense,” he agrees. “But in any case, with your scores, you’ll be placed in class 4.”

“I’m sorry, I’m not really familiar with how the class system works here,” my voice trails off and I tilt my head to the side. Takeda laughs apologetically.

“Of course, of course. I forgot,” he smiles rather politely, “why don’t I just explain from the beginning, then? Our high school has three grades, each broken down into five classes. Classes one to three are normal classes while four and five are college preparatory classes. It is the same for all the grade levels. Grade one is the youngest and grade three is the eldest. Does that make sense?”

“Yes, thank you,” I take a deep breath and flash a nervous grin, “well, then, why don’t you lead the way? Guess it’s time for me to start school.” I laugh and he joins in. 

“You’ll be arriving just in time for lunch,” Takeda informs me as the bell rings, “so you’ll get a chance to talk to some classmates before classes begin. Before you go in, I want to mention that you may want to consider joining a club for the first two terms. It would allow you to meet other students with the same interests as you. But I won’t press.” He holds his hand out to an open door. “This will be your classroom. I’ll just show you to your seat and then make my leave.” Every eye in the room is on me as he guides me to a desk in the back of the room. It takes all my willpower not to run out of the room or breakdown right there. Crowds really aren’t my thing.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, everyone!  
> Thanks for bearing with the kinda boring get-to-know-you portions of the fic. There may be one or two more slow chapters, but we're getting to introduce a bunch more characters now!  
> Personally, I think this work is mostly slice-of-life with a touch of action and mystery. There will be a few fight scenes here and there, but in what I have written thus far, I haven't included any, so it's mainly just slice-of-life for the moment.  
> Anyway, that's what I think of it, but go ahead and tell me your thoughts!  
> And please, please let me know if you think I'm taking a character too far OOC. That tends to bother me and I'd like to correct it, if at all possible. Thanks!

Apparently, they’d heard a transfer student was coming, but they didn’t know anything else about me. As soon as Takeda left, a swarm of girls surrounded my desk, demanding information about me. Lunch is nearly an hour long, so I had to endure the questions the entire time as I struggled to talk around bites of my sandwich. 

“Sorry about that,” a sweet looking boy with gray hair says, taking the seat on my right, “I’m sure you didn’t want to be mobbed on your first day.”

“No, it’s alright. I expected it.”

He gives me a bright grin and holds out a hand, “I’m Sugawara Koushi, but just call me Suga.”

“It’s good to meet you, Suga-san,” I shake his hand, “I’m Jackson Winnie. Please, call me Winnie.” As soon as our hands drop, the teacher walks in and I’m sucked back into the monotony of high school. Ugh. I thought I’d remembered just how bad it was. But no. It’s far worse than memory serves.

Somehow, I suffer through the first day and trudge home. I have loads of make-up work to do and, despite not really needing to, I intend to do well this year. I always have in the past and I can’t allow the fact that it’s not under my real name to excuse any slipping. Plus, this way, I’ll keep busy.

Thankfully, there’s only two more days left in the week. I think I can make it.

**Time jump: Friday at lunch**

“Winnie?” The homeroom teacher waves me over to her desk. “I know you’re doing great with your studies, but please do make sure you’re taking time to make friends as well. Have you considered joining a club?”

“I’ve thought about it, yes, but I have no clue what I’d join, so it was more of a passing idea, really.”

“I think you should consider it seriously. It would greatly benefit you to make some friends here.” I nod in agreement before excusing myself and returning to my desk to gather my bag. 

“Winnie?” It’s Suga. “You’re thinking about joining a club?”

“Kind of? The teacher wants me to, but…”

“Well, I’m part of the volleyball club, and our manager could use some help. Would you mind if I introduced you to her?” This boy is way to kind, but his eyes almost set me on edge. He seems to know exactly what you’re thinking and what you need. It’s kind of frightening, to be honest. But he’s way to earnest and pure to be scary.

“I don’t know anything about volleyball, though.”

“Neither did Shimizu when she started managing for us. Don’t worry about that part of it, just consider it, okay?” He is so not going to give up.

“I guess meeting her couldn’t hurt,” I say after a long pause. Maybe having something to do would be nice. Keep myself busy. It’s not like I can do anything more for finding my mom at the moment.

“Great! She’s in class two,” he chirps with a broad grin, “come this way.” He doesn’t run off, but waits next to me, until I take the first step.

“Shimizu,” he calls into the classroom door and waves her over when she glances his way.

“Suga-san,” she responds in a soft voice when she’s close enough to speak.

“Shimizu, this is Winnie. She’s the new transfer student and is thinking about joining a club. I suggested she might like to help you. I hope that’s alright.” Kiyoko’s eyes go wide and she nods once, quickly.

“Good to meet you, Winnie-san,” she practically whispers.

“You, too, Kiyoko-san. I, ah…” I trail off, having absolutely no clue what to say.

“Would you like to eat with me today? I can explain to you what I do for the club and you can decide if you want to help.”

“Ah, sure, that sounds good.”

“Why don’t we go to your class? Then we can eat with Suga and Daichi as well.” She steps forward and leads the way back to class four. Something about it makes me think this isn’t an infrequent occurrence.

Daichi and Suga are seated next to us, chattering away about their “Golden Week Training Camp” and “Nekoma High” while Kiyoko explains what she does for the club. It doesn’t sound terribly difficult, but I can see how handling everything alone would be rather difficult.

“You don’t have to make a decision right away,” she assures me, but I smile and shake my head.

“No, it actually sounds really interesting.”

“Would you like to come by the club to meet everyone today? You can let me know on Monday if you want to join.”

“That sounds good.”

“Great. Well, I guess I should mention the Golden Week camp they’re talking about.” She gestures slightly to Daichi and Suga. “It’s coming up starting a week from Wednesday. We’ll spend a week at a nearby facility training the boys for the Inter-High tournament. At the end, we’ll get to play some games against an old rival, Nekoma High School.”

“Oh, that’s exciting.” Suddenly, I’m not so sure about this.

“It’s very close to my house, so I’ll be going home every evening. You don’t have to stay overnight if you don’t want to. You really don’t even have to come if you don’t want to. It’s just something that’s coming up,” she assures me quickly. “We got a new coach about a week ago, so please don’t worry if you can’t make it. Takeda-sensei and I will be able to handle the managerial duties if you can’t.”

“Takeda-sensei is the advisor?” Okay, my concern is right out the window. Whatever club Takeda manages can’t be that bad.

“Yes.”

“Then I’m not concerned.” The bell rings. “I’ll see you at club.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry for delaying this one so much!  
> I actually re-read what I wrote and found that there was a bunch of scenes that I wanted to write, but left out. I'm going back through and adding them, but at the moment, the first ten chapters are completed in full and there shouldn't be anymore delays there.  
> Thanks for being patient!
> 
> In this one, Winnie meets the boys and Hinata adorableness ensues.

I’m standing talking to Kiyoko at the end of the day. Suga and Daichi are already on their way to the gym, but I need to talk to Kiyoko for a minute.

“So, I really am interested in joining the club, but I have a few… issues- personally- that will need to be explained.”

“What?” This girl and her one-word answers. Is she upset or just curious?

“Well, I can’t have people walk directly behind me or sneak up on me. I, uh, well, I’ve got a habit of swinging before I look, so…” I roll my eyes to the ceiling. I really don’t feel like explaining all my issues to her. Really, I don’t want anyone to know, but PTSD is PTSD and it requires accommodation on my behalf, so I need to explain. “I just have some anxiety issues and those are two really bad triggers for me.”

“Okay. I’ll let the boys know. Is there anything else we can do?”

“Just- don’t crowd around me. I do need a little bit of breathing space. I don’t mind groups, but when too many people get too close, it can be troublesome.”

“Of course. Let me know if they crowd in too far and I’ll make sure it doesn’t happen again. But I don’t think that should be too big of an issue, except for Hinata-kun and Noya-kun.” She looks me right in the eyes. “Was that all?”

“Ah, yes.”

“Then, the gym is right this way. I’ll just introduce you and then you can choose whether you’d like to stay and watch a bit or go home.”

“Sounds good.” She walks ahead of me, sliding open the door to the gym.

“Excuse me, could I get your attention?” Suga and Daichi’s heads snap around and then Daichi lets out a shout, telling everyone to gather around.

“Thank you,” she murmurs. “I wanted to let you know that we may be getting another manager.” Eyes go wide and the shorties start jumping up and down. Kiyoko waits for a moment of peace before carrying on. “She is a third year in class four. Her name is Winnie.” I step up, making brief eye contact with Suga before glancing at everyone around me.

“Hello,” I address them, “I’m Winnie. It’s good to meet you all.”

“Uh-woah!” The little one with orange hair is bouncing up and down, creeping closer. “You’re the transfer student!”

“I am.”

“That’s so cool!” And then three of them- the two short ones and one with a shaved head- are hounding me with questions about life in the States. Kiyoko steps forward.

“She’s just here to say hello today, so please, give her some space.”

“Ohhhh, sorry!” The little orange guy says again, giving a quick little bow. 

“It’s alright,” I assure him, being sure to give just the slightest smile.

“Thank you for coming,” Daichi calls and then, all of them bow and shout thank you.

“Thank you for having me,” I reply, trying to hide my shock. I don’t really know what to do in this situation. Seriously, they all just bowed to me. Why?

They return to practice and Kiyoko turns to me.

“Would you like to stay or go home?”

“I’ll stay for a little bit. I’m curious to see how they play.”

“Just show her the freak duo,” a tall, blonde guy mutters, “that’ll scare her right off.” To the contrary, everyone here is human, so I have nothing to fear- except what my anxiety tells me to panic about. But that’s a different story.

“Salty,” I mutter in English. His eyes narrow on me in an almost confused way and I get the strangest sense he knows what I said, but then he just walks away. If he does understand English, he might not understand our slang. I watch him stride to the end of the court, then look away to watch the others. Whatever.

After watching for a little over a half an hour, I say goodbye to Kiyoko and promise to see her on Monday. These kids are seriously dedicated and that’s amazing to see. I wasn’t able to be manager for Jacks’ football team and their dedication reminds me of him, so I definitely want to help them in any way I can. (Jacks is my closest friend, if I didn’t tell you that yet.)

As I’m leaving, the little orange hair kid comes darting out to me.

“Hey!” he shouts, “do you think you’ll join?”

“Sorry, who are you?” He draws himself up to full height and it’s hard not to snicker at the sight. He’s a bit shorter than I am and trying really hard to make himself as tall as possible. It’s actually fairly cute.

“I’m Hinata Shouyo,” the kid announces.

“Good to meet you,” I respond automatically, “and I think I probably will. You seem like a great group.”

“Really?” He asks on an indrawn breath, eyes wider than I’d ever imagined possible. Seriously, you’d think he isn’t human with how wide they got.

“Yes,” I say with a chuckle. “Now, I should be going. Get back to practice.”

“Yes!” And he’s off and running. I turn back to my walk home.

It’s the weirdest thing. I’ve seen very few supernatural creatures here in Japan. There were more in the city, but since getting here to Miyagi, I’ve seen almost none. There’s a few psychics here and there (myself included), but nothing more. Not a single demon or werewolf. But I guess that’s a good thing. It means I don’t have to worry about hunting while I’m here. I can just focus on finding my mom and recuperating from the past year.

That’s a really long story in and of itself, but it boils down to the fact that a really bad nightmare from my past popped up, causing me to run away from home at eighteen, just as the school year started. I spent four and a half months on the run from him, before things came to a head. Essentially, he died and I got to go home. The next month and a half I spent recovering from an epic breakdown that seeing him caused and finding everything I could out about my mom. Then, a week later, I moved here. And that’s the short version. 

It doesn’t really matter. Being here in Japan separates me very well from that past and now I can focus entirely on getting better and handling the last loose end from my childhood. Which is exactly what I came here to do. So why not have a little fun doing it and join a club? 


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry! I totally forgot to post this yesterday.
> 
> In any event, this chapter is devoted to Winnie's decision about the team. There's also a conversation with her brothers, so you'll learn a little more of her background here.
> 
> As an update, I now have 38 chapters written, with several of those taking place in the middle of what I'd already written. There were some plot holes I needed to patch up, but this is looking like it's going to end up being far, far longer than I'd anticipated and I'm both excited (because, yay, more writing) and upset (because, ugh, more writing).
> 
> I'll touch on this again much, much later, but if anyone has a moment, would you let me know if you'd be interested/alright with my bringing Kuroko no Basuke into this? I have a really fun idea, but if that seems like too much/a bad idea to a lot of people, I won't do it. (For reference, they'll be the same age as Kageyama and Hinata, and nothing will really change about their story, aside from meeting the Haikyuu!! characters)

The weekend feels crazy long, seeing as I spend almost all of my time doing the make-up work I was given. This is the one time my inability to sleep comes in handy. Granted, I technically started the work on Wednesday, as soon as I got home, but I still managed to finish it all this weekend. Yes, it was exactly as torturous as it sounds.

I put away the last worksheet Sunday evening, just in time to make dinner. One of my dreams was to become a chef, but honestly, cooking just for myself is such a hassle. But I guess making it and having something to pack for lunch tomorrow will be good, too. With a sigh, I heave myself out of my chair and shuffle into the kitchen. I have the ingredients to make a nice chicken stir-fry. That’ll probably garner fewer looks tomorrow. The kids all seem to judge my food. Have they really never seen a PB&J before?

Once I’ve finished eating, I bundle up the leftovers for my lunch, set out my uniform, pack my backpack, and take a shower. There’s no chance of me falling asleep this early, but it’s nice to pretend anyway. After a glance at the clock, I realize it’s finally late enough for me to consider calling my brothers. This insane time difference makes calling kind of difficult. Thankfully, none of us sleep much.

So, I whip out my phone, a dinky little flip phone I have solely for the purpose of overseas calls. It was cheaper than connecting my smartphone. Dean, my oldest brother, is speed dial one and he picks up on the second ring.

“Ava?”

“Hey, Dean. What’s up?”

“One sec, let me put you on speaker.” There’s a pause and a rustle, then a click, which I assume is him setting the phone on the table, before he speaks again. “Alright, we can all hear you. It’s me, Sam, Cas, and Gabe.”

“Hey, Sam! Cas, Gabe. How are you all?”

“We’re doing good,” Sam responds. “How are you? How’s the new school?” Despite being the younger brother, he’s a few inches taller than Dean. His hair is also really long and floppy.

“It could be worse. I finally finished all the work I missed. That was pretty rough. I just figured it’d be better to get it done in one fell swoop than have extra work every day for weeks.”

“Makes sense,” Sam agrees.

“Why bother?” Dean asks. Classic Dean. He never enjoyed school and actually dropped out as soon as he was able. Now, he fixes up and sells old cars he finds in junkyards. It actually makes him some good money since he’s so good at it. Sam had wanted to be a lawyer, but that kind of fell through when he dropped out of college after his girlfriend was killed. Still, he pushes school as the most important thing.

“Well, I would like to say I graduated high school, even if its under a fake name. Besides, what else would I be doing all day? Just sitting around. I need a little more information before I can start looking for her for real, so I’d rather not be bored in the meantime.” I lean back on the bed, putting them on speaker, too, so I can rest the phone next to me instead of holding it. “I’m also going to join a club.”

“What club?” This, Dean sounds far to excited about.

“Volleyball. I’m going to be one of the managers for the boy’s team.”

“Oh.” And now he’s disappointed.

“What’s volleyball, again?” Cas asks in the background, the permanently socially awkward angel living up to his reputation.

“It’s a sport. Have Dean show you.”

“I will.”

“How are you doing, Cas?”

“Alright. There’s nothing big happening in Heaven, so everything is normal.”

“And Gabe?”

“I’m bored.”

“No killing people, we’ve discussed this.” Gabe, an archangel, went undercover a long, long time ago as Loki, the trickster god. He was sick of the politics in Heaven and used the disguise to stay out of it. Of course, that means he was also playing dangerous or deadly tricks on people. We’re trying to break his habit.

“Yeah, yeah.”

“Gabe! Don’t just cover the table in candy!” Sam shouts. I roll my eyes. Those two are at it again. They’re almost always at each other’s throats.

“Well, now that they’re bickering, I might as well ask what made you want to be the manager.” The voices in the background are muffled now, so I assume I’m off speaker.

“The teacher practically required it of me. Plus, two of the kids in my class are on the team and they’re really nice. It seems like the rest of the team is, too. I just figured, if I’ve gotta join a team, theirs seems… alright.”

“You didn’t want to play a sport?”

“Not particularly. I can run every day on my own, and we set up that punching bag for me to practice kickboxing with, so I’m definitely getting enough exercise.”

“My point was it’d be more interesting to play than watch.”

“I guess. But I’ve never been terribly interested in sports, so it doesn’t bother me.”

“Then have fun with it.”

“I will.”

“I should let you go. You need to sleep for school tomorrow. Let us know how the club goes. I’ve gotta go feed the savages.”

“You’re one of the savages, dummy. Love you.”

“Love you, too. Goodnight.” He hangs up and I plug my phone in with a sigh. Time to try counting sheep.

The next day, I’m surprisingly energetic. I guess that homework made me more tired than I thought, and I actually managed to get a full seven hours of sleep. Let me tell you, without a sleeping pill, that is a really rare occurrence. The day passes rather quickly, something I assume comes with actually being able to stay awake during class.

“Are you coming to club today?” Suga asks after the last bell rings.

“I am,” I tell him with a small smile.

“Really? Great!” Daichi walks up as Suga is speaking. “You can walk over with Daichi and I!” I want to laugh at his excitement, but I have to say, I am, too.

“Oh, you decided to join?” Daichi looks pleased, if more subtly so than Suga. I nod, humming affirmatively.

“That’s wonderful. Shimizu could really use the help.” The two walk on either side of me and I can feel tension weaving its way through my body. This isn’t good. It’s almost as bad as being crowded.

“Mind if I walk along the wall?” I ask Daichi, who’s walking on my right.

“Oh, no problem.”

“Is this about what Shimizu mentioned at Saturday practice?” Suga’s voice is concerned, but I chuckle at the question. He does seem like the type to not beat around the bush when he’s worried about someone.

“Yeah, it falls under that category. I can usually manage it, but there are small things that’ll set me off sometimes.” I shrug and add, “I generally just change what’s bugging me before things get bad.”

“Just let us know if you need anything, okay?”

“Of course,” I assure him with a little laugh, “but there really shouldn’t be any problems.” I don’t expect there to be, at least. I haven’t really had any issues since I came to Japan. Granted, smaller things that I thought I’d gotten used to are starting to bother me again, but that will fade again with time. I’m assuming it’s just because the move is a big change.

“Winnie,” Kiyoko’s voice comes from just ahead of us. “You decided to join.”

“I did.”

“Follow me, I’ll show you to the girl’s changing room.” We get changed and then walk to the gym together.

“Ahhhh!” I hear Hinata scream off to the side. “You came back! I’m so happy!” Affirmatives come from almost everyone else on the team, except for some scowly kid with black hair and the blond salty one from Friday.

“Kageyama, be nice,” Hinata yells at him. “She’s going to be our manager!” The kid- Kageyama, I suppose- glares at Hinata, but turns to me with a much… politer(?) look. At least he’s not giving me a death glare.

“Thanks for joining,” he mutters.

“Oooh, look at the King, being polite. Isn’t that beneath you?” The glare Kageyama sends the blondie is much more malicious than he had used on Hinata. It’s almost terrifying.

“Kageyama, Tsukishima, cut it out!” Daichi shouts across the room. I guess this is a frequent event.

“Would you help me fill these?” Kiyoko holds out a couple water bottles to me and together, we get down to work.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been such a long week. First, my brother got mono. Then, my best friend was supposed to come and visit, but found out (the day before) that she had a doctor's appointment right in the middle of the trip. Add on nannying and tutoring (different families), an editing job I did for my mom (20 pages about teaching evaluations ugh), having to then explain my edits to a committee, and getting rammed with insomnia, I'm utterly exhausted.  
> That being said, I am so pumped for the new season of Free!  
> And also, posting this.  
> As proud of this work as I am- it's already looking like it will be double the length of the previous one in the series- I am absolutely clueless about the honorifics, despite all my research, so I'm trying to keep them more formal than I think they should be.  
> Also, I'm thinking about starting a KnB fic, which will include an OC, but I can't decide which of the two OCs I came up with fits better. So now I'm struggling to decide who to write and its kind of really annoying. I'm also debating doing a KnB/Haikyuu!! crossover fic, which I think could be tons of fun. Both will likely be in omniscient third person, instead of first, like this is.  
> Let me know which one you'd like to see first!  
> And don't forget to let me know if you'd be okay with KnB being brought into this. I'm still waffling on that.

I’m just bending down to put another set of water bottles down (it’s the third these kids have gone through today) when I notice something flying straight at me. On instinct, my hand comes up and blocks it from hitting my face.

“I’m so, so sorry!” The tall one with the man-bun cries, looking terribly upset.

“It’s alright, no harm done.”

“I’m still very sorry!”

“Dude, calm down. It’s okay. I’m not hurt. Jeez, anyone got some chill pills around here? He could use one… or ten.” I hear snickers come from the guys around me, while Noya chatters loudly at the tall guy about being too soft.

Suga starts laughing and informs me, “Asahi has a glass heart. He worries over everything.”

“Ah, a gentle giant?” Suga agrees and I turn back to Asahi. “Hey, take a deep breath, yeah? You didn’t do it on purpose, I’m not hurt, and I’m not mad. Just try again.” Asahi’s eyes go wide at my words, like he had expected me to be upset or something. Then he hurriedly nods and scuttles off to try another spike that, hopefully, won’t attempt to kill someone.

“You handled that well,” Kiyoko comments once the guys have all gotten back to business.

“Well, I have a bunch of experience with people with anxiety, so it’s something I can handle pretty well. Usually.”

“Anxiety?” She looks at me weirdly, a crinkle in between her brows. “Asahi’s never mentioned that. I don’t think he has it.”

“Oh, believe me, that boy is a poster child for anxiety, if what just happened isn’t uncommon for him. I’ve been around it enough to know that much. It’s not a bad thing, he just needs a little extra coddling here and there to help him get over it.” Right. Like it’s that easy. But something tells me that’s the only way to help her swallow this pill. 

“You’re entirely sure he has it?”

“I’m not a doctor, so I’ll never say anything is 100%, but I can tell you he is extremely similar to some friends I’ve had who do have anxiety.”

“What should we do for him?” My lips quirk. Exactly the response I wanted to hear. I had heard that mental illness was looked down on here in Japan- not that I know that to be true- but Kiyoko seems to be taking it pretty well. I can only hope she’s the norm, not the exception. I calmly explain to her a few tricks that will help her make his life easier, all of which essentially boil down to not making fun of it and supporting him. 

A few minutes later a little ball of energy bounces up in front of me, hair spiked ten centimeters above his head and blonde bangs swinging across his forehead.

“Hey! Thanks for not getting mad at Asahi earlier. And thanks for joining the team. I know Kiyoko needed some help. It’s awesome to have two managers!”

“Ah, I’m glad I could help. Sorry, what was your name?” Much like Hinata did, he stands up as tall as he can and puffs his chest, pointing to himself with his thumb proudly.

“I’m Nishinoya Yuu, year two, class three. I’m the libero!” I raise my eyebrows at the last word. I really should read up on volleyball. “Oh, libero is a special position. My entire job is to keep the ball from hitting the ground. I can’t serve or attack, so I stay in the back row, trading in and out with other players as much as I want to. It’ll probably make more sense if you see it in a game, but it’s super cool!”

“I bet it is,” I agree with a soft laugh, “It’s good to meet you, Nishinoya-san.”

“Oh, just call me Noya. It’s good to meet you, too, Winnie!” And he’s off, receiving the serves the other players are practicing. He doesn’t seem to have to practice serving, so maybe he doesn’t get to serve? He said he couldn’t attack, after all.

There’s one kid whose serves he can’t quite seem to receive consistently. I can’t really tell why, but the ball seems to fall randomly. It’s the kid who is always near Tsukishima. After one particularly spectacular miss, Noya tells him it was a nice serve, calling him Yamaguchi.

I’ve always tried to commit people’s names to memory the first time I meet them. I always feel too weird to ask them a second time what their name is, so just remembering from the get-go is easier. So far, I have three quarters of the team, plus Kiyoko, Takeda-sensei, and Coach Ukai. All that’s left are the bald guy who has a bad habit of taking his shirt off every time he spikes and the three guys that are perfectly average; not good enough or bad enough to stand out.

Of course, it isn’t long before Daichi has to yell at Tanaka to put his shirt back on, so I get his name really quickly. The other three seem to just blend in. Sure, the others talk to them, but there’s no yelling in their conversations, so their names never quite reach me. Guess I’ll have to ask them directly.

While they’re finishing cleaning up later that evening, I approach the three.

“Hi, sorry to interrupt. I was just wondering if I could get your names? I don’t think we were ever introduced.” They snap to attention and quickly introduce themselves as Enoshita, Kinoshita, and Narita. 

“See you at morning practice tomorrow,” Enoshita says with a grin, leading the others out of the gym.

“Yep, see you!” I agree before turning to Kiyoko. “What time is morning practice?” She laughs and assures me it’s not too early, just seven o’clock. That’s not early to crazy people and people who never sleep. I think I fit into both categories.

I get home that night around eight and thankfully, it’s still light enough out for a run before doing homework. I charted out my path a few days ago, not wanting to accidentally end up somewhere unsafe. I change into some running gear, grab some reflective bands in case the sun sets sooner than expected, and head out.

The whole area here is nice. All the houses are uniform and neatly manicured. The street lamps light practically the entire street. It’s quiet and the streets are empty. Even with earbuds in, albeit playing very softly, I feel perfectly safe.

I end up running further than I had planned, reaching another school, a private one, before I realize just how far I’ve gone.

“Whoops,” I mutter, glancing around. “Didn’t mean to go this far.” I let out a small sigh. Now I’ve gotta run all the way home, too. It’s not that it’ll be difficult for me to run that distance, I just didn’t want to entirely wear myself out since I haven’t done my homework yet. I turn and start my way back, almost running head on into someone.

“Oh, so sorry,” I apologize quickly.

“It’s alright.” I glance across the street at the school. The kid clearly just came from there, dressed in light exercise clothes. He’s probably going to run, too. I’ll just go a little quicker than normal to put some distance between us.

“Excuse me.” With a little nod of my head, I turn away and take off. It isn’t long before I realize he’s having no trouble keeping up with me. I guess I shouldn’t be shocked, though. He is pretty tall and clearly athletic. He must run a ton.

“Do you run a lot?” His deep voice startles me and I almost- almost- take a swing at him. The only thing that saves him is that I already knew he was there.

“Yeah, I try to run every day.”

“I’ve never seen you before.”

“I just moved here.”

“Ah.” And he stops the conversation there.

“You go to that school back there?”

“Shiritorizawa, and yes. Where do you go?”

“I just started at Karasuno.”

“You’ve run a long way, then.”

“I guess. I lived in the country before, so I could run forever without seeing a soul.”

“Sounds nice.” I only hum in agreement and we fall silent. He’s just a half step behind me through the entire conversation, but he doesn’t seem to be forcing himself to go slower or faster than usual. 

“I turn here,” he says suddenly, “have a good night. Stay safe.” I glance up and notice it’s starting to get dark out.

“Thanks, you, too.” It was pretty nice having someone to run with, if I’m being entirely honest. Back home, Sam and I used to run together sometimes. It was good bonding time for the two of us. Dean and I fixed up cars together, but Sam liked to exercise, and it’s good for helping with anxiety and depression, so I got into the habit, too. We often ended up working out together.

Night has entirely fallen by the time I make it home an hour and a half later. Once my homework is done- it didn’t take long-, I have dinner, pack my lunch, take a quick shower, and set up for school tomorrow. With everything ready just before midnight, I fall asleep rather quickly, for once. Maybe I’ll actually get a full six hours this time.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! So, as of this post, I'm going to start updating twice a week. I've now got about 40 chapters and am writing pretty consistently, so it should be a long, long time before I have to start updating as I write.  
> In sad news: my best friend doesn't get to come visit (she lives a four hour drive away).   
> In good news: I get to dog sit this weekend instead. Which basically means I'll be getting paid to go sit in someone's house and do nothing except play with dogs for the whole weekend.   
> In even better news: my parents are finally letting me get medication for my depression (it's been three years since I first broached the topic). I don't have the money to do it myself, so I have to get their permission. I tried for a little while, but couldn't afford to be going to the doctor so frequently. The only downside to the medication is that it actually gives me a regular sleep schedule, and I do some of my best writing when I'm a little loopy. But I think its better to be a functional human being than suffering just so my writing stays on point.  
> And, now that I've surely irritated you all with this super long note, enjoy the chapter!

“Hey, Winnie!” Hinata pops up next to me out of thin air. “I saw you out running last night but my mom said it would be creepy to try to catch up, so I didn’t. But I wanted to know if you wanted to run together sometime?”

“You live in that area?”

“Oh, no. I live over the mountain. But my mom needed to get groceries, so I went with her.”

“I see.” I pause, tilting my head. “Well, I don’t mind running with you, if you think you can keep up.”

“I can, I can!” He jumps up and down several times. “I promise I’m very fast.”

“How about we run Saturdays after practice, then?” The smile on this kid’s face absolutely makes my day. He really is a little ray of sunshine. 

“Yes!”

“Then it’s a plan. Now, go on, you have practice to get to.”

“I can’t believe you’re going to run with him,” Tsukishima comments from my left.

“What does that mean?”

“He’s just stupid, that’s all. Why run with him?”

“Why talk to you?”

“Hey!” Yamaguchi cries indignantly on behalf of the too-cool Tsukishima.

“I’m doing it because I like to run and he’s a sweet kid. A half an hour a week won’t kill me and it’ll make him happy.” How could anyone dislike Hinata? I don’t get Tsukishima’s problem with Hinata, but his salty comments do make me laugh most of the time. I do get the distinct impression, however, that he likes to agitate people. That itself is agitating to me.

“He’s crazy and he’s going to burn himself out.” Does he disguise his concern for his teammates as snark?

“You have to cross your limits before you can learn them. If he’s struggling too much, I’ll cut the runs off.” I turn my best stink eye on him. “You have practice, too. Hop to it.”

“Thanks, Winnie! Usually, they mosey around for a while and it’s difficult to get them to focus because they end up bickering.” Suga walks over, holding his arm across his chest in a stretch. “I can’t always handle them alone and Daichi just gets angry.”

“I have two older brothers who are horrible at following instructions. I can handle a couple teenage boys much better.” Suga switches arms.

“How old are your brothers?” His eyes go wide as soon as he asks. “No, I’m sorry, that was too personal.”

“No, no,” I laugh, “It’s really alright. They’re actually in their thirties. Dean is the oldest and Sam is the youngest. I really miss them. Moving away has been hard.”

“So you all lived together?”

“Yeah, one house. Them, Cas, Gabe, and Crowley. Plus, we had a bunch of friends who would constantly move in and out, just staying for a few weeks at a time.”

“Then the hardest part must be that the house isn’t so busy anymore.” His eyes look sympathetic and it makes me smile a bit.

“Living alone is extremely different, and lonely, compared to home.”

“You’re here alone?” Concern and confusion color his voice and cross his face.

“Ah, yeah. I chose to move here on my own.”

“What about your parents?” Suga sits down, starting to stretch out his legs. I lean against the wall next to him.

“Well, I’ve only met my dad once, but I’ve been told he’s dead. My mom is a bit of a touchy subject, since I believed she was dead for a very long time and only recently found out she’s actually a missing person.” I shrug, but internally, I’m seething. The abusive bitch would be better off dead. No, no, wait. That’s not what I really want. I want her in jail, not six feet under.

“Oh. OH! I’m so sorry I asked! I didn’t mean to be rude!”

“Suga,” I laugh, “Relax. You didn’t know and I don’t mind answering. Besides, two years ago, I finally got to move in with my brothers, so all’s well that ends well, right?”

He visibly relaxes at my words and grins, “right.” But I can still see worry in his eyes. Probably because of the mom thing, but whatever. As long as he doesn’t pester me about it, it’s alright. But then I glance up. Takeda is standing right there- crap! He totally heard the entire conversation. His stance tells me we’re going to talk about this.

“Winnie,” he says as soon as Suga jogs off to the court, “would you come talk to me for a minute?”

“This is about the conversation with Suga?” He nods. “Of course. Lead the way.” And he does. He probably got some clues from that conversation, he’s very smart, of course, but wants to confirm his suspicions, given they already know I have bad anxiety.

Once we’re in a more private place, he asks, “I know I might be overstepping, but is the reason you moved here your mom?”

“Yes.”

“Are you running away from her?” Ah, innocent Takeda, it’s quite the opposite.

“Actually, I’m here to find her. She’s living under a fake name, but I know she’s somewhere in this area.”

“Okay.” He seems calmer, probably thinking that if I hadn’t been running away, she’s someone safe to be around. Quite wrong, but that’s not the point.

“Anything else?”

“You had Shimizu tell everyone not to walk up behind you or sneak up on you. She mentioned it was anxiety based, but I get the sense there’s more to it. Would you mind telling me?”

“Yeah, well, I had a pretty traumatic experience as a kid, and as a result I have PTSD. I’d like to leave it at that, if you don’t mind.”

“Of course, of course. You don’t have to tell me anything you don’t want to. I just wanted to know if there was something I could do to help you.” His hands wave through the air and he looks panicked. Classic. I laugh at the look on his face.

“Don’t worry, Takeda-sensei. I don’t mind you asking, but that’s all I’d like to say on the subject for now. Besides, those are the two main triggers that are out of my control. Everything else, I can handle.”

“If you’re sure, then that’s alright with me. Will you be okay coming to the training camp?”

“It won’t be a problem. I just don’t always sleep a lot,” I glance at him questioningly, “Will it be a problem if I walk around a bit at night? I’ll be quiet.”

“So long as you don’t wake the boys up and you stay inside, I don’t have a problem with it.”

“Great. Then, should we get back to practice?”

“Oh! Yes!” Takeda hurries off and I trail along after him. Anyone else might have pushed for more information, but he was really respectful. I’m beginning to really like this team.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I went to Six Flags yesterday, hence why I didn't update yesterday.  
> I'm not particularly pleased with one of Kiyoko's lines in here, but... it needed to be said. You could take it as out of character, but we also don't see Kiyoko interact with other girls very much, so I'm taking some liberties with the line. You'll know it when you read it. It's rather clunky.  
> Anyway, I'll update again on Monday!  
> Please comment and let me know what you think and if there's something I can improve on!  
> Thanks!

The boys are all getting settled into their rooms while Kiyoko and I start cooking. If I haven’t mentioned it yet, I love to cook and intend to be a chef someday. I’ll probably say that a million more times. I’m better at western meals, but I’ve taken enough classes to be able to do the basics for many different cultures. Besides, a basic curry is a staple in most areas of the world and something I learned to make a long time ago. Takeda had offered to help, but Kiyoko and I had it under control, so he let us do it on our own.

Outside, I can hear Hinata chattering on about how training camp is the best thing ever. Tanaka, who clearly doesn’t realize how much his voice carries, exclaims that it is the best because they’re in the same building as Kiyoko. We share a dead look before she sighs.

“Those two… They just can’t take a hint,” she grumbles.

“They’re teenage boys. Can you expect anything else?”

“Oh, I know, but you think they’d eventually catch on that it will never happen.”

“They are stupider than you’d expect.”

“That is true. Still, I mean, I’m… ah, no, nevermind.” Her cheeks are red and she casts her eyes away from me. This girl, she has no idea. I’ve noticed everything. The way her eyes catch on girls, lingering around their skirts, while she utterly ignores the ripped-as-hell boys on our volleyball team as they change right in front of her.

“Lesbian? I know. I don’t care. You remember I’m from the States, right? We don’t really care there.” Well, most people. There are the occasional assholes. Whatever, I’m the one who matters here. “Besides, both my brothers are gay, as is their best friend.”

“H-how did you know?”

“Just little things. You didn’t really seem interested in any guys, but you definitely blushed when that girl tripped the other day.” She goes beet red again and I can’t help but laugh. “Hey, don’t worry about it. You ever want to talk about girls, just talk to me. That’s what I’m here for, after all.”

We scoop up the large bowls of food to carry into the dining area.

“I’ll take you up on that sometime. You’re a good friend, you know that?”

“Oh, thanks.” A warmth fills me. It’s been a while since someone complimented me like that. Probably over a year, if I’m being honest.

“Takeda,” a crusty voice whines from the hall. We look over to see Tanaka and Nishinoya laying on the ground like dead fish. Sure enough, Takeda is standing right in front of us, probably here to help us carry the food out. Kiyoko looks immensely confused to see them lying on the ground, but I know. They’ve just found out she isn’t staying here overnight. I, unfortunately, have to.

“Oh, dear,” I mutter to myself, switching to English, “those two really are a special brand of special.”

“Dinner’s ready,” Kiyoko informs Takeda, who sets off to round up the ruffians. Every bite of food we cooked was eaten. Every. Single. Bite. Tanaka, Nishinoya, and Hinata had severe stomach aches afterwards, but all the food was gone. 

The senpai wander off to take their baths while the kouhai start setting up the futons in their room. Kiyoko helps clean up the dining area, then heads home herself.

“Takeda-sensei,” I approach him slowly once everyone else has left the room, “can I speak with you for a moment?”

“Of course! What is it?”

“Well, I just- It’s just that I generally have a tough time sleeping. Would it be alright if I walk around a bit at night? So long as I don’t wake the others up?”

“Stay inside the building,” he orders immediately, “but other than that, it’s absolutely alright.”

“Great, thank you so much!” He starts to walk away, but I add, “And Takeda, I don’t mind cooking all the meals. You and Kiyoko can worry about the boys, I’ll handle the food.”

“Are you sure?”

“Absolutely. It’s not a problem for me. And as much I love the team, being in a room with so many people all day set me a bit on edge.” It’s different in a classroom because it’s so quiet. That doesn’t bother me. But the loudness of volleyball plus the large group… yeah, that could create problems.

“I’ll let Kiyoko-san know when she gets here, then.” Takeda pats me lightly on the shoulder and walks away, leaving me to finish putting away the dishes. When everything is done and all the boys are safely in bed, I wander through the center to find a place to sit. 

I find myself thinking about everyone on the team. They’re all too kind to me. Hinata is a ball of fluff and happiness and Kageyama cares about everyone in a very angry manner. Yamaguchi is like an anxious puppy, always trailing after Tsukishima, but he’s also picked up on some of Tsukishima’s salt. Ennoshita will eventually replace Daichi and Suga as team parent and, regrettably, I don’t know very much about Kinoshita and Narita. They have more subdued personalities, so they tend to get outspoken by the others on the team. Then there’s Tanaka. He thinks he’s a punk and, while he is a bit more hardcore than the others, he’s also got a sweet side and really cares about everyone. As for Nishinoya, he’s our wild child, always up to something and always hungry. Asahi is the gentle giant; a beast on the court, but totally weak and anxious off of it. Lastly, the team parents are Daichi and Suga. With Daichi as the ever-responsible and taskmaster dad and Suga as the caretaker and worrying mom, they’re perfect partners as Captain and Vice-captain.

Did I mention I’m pretty sure everyone on this team is, to some extent, gay? Even if they’re not, they have someone on this team they’re totally into. The pairs I’ve figured out so far are Daichi and Suga, obviously, Asahi and Noya, Tsukishima and Yamaguchi, and Hinata and Kageyama. I’m also decently positive Ennoshita is into Tanaka, but Tanaka refuses to admit it back, so we’ll see if anything ever happens there. As for the others, well, I’m pretty sure they’ll eventually hook up, if they aren’t already. I’d totally believe it if Daichi and Suga said they were, plus Tsukishima and Yamaguchi. I’d almost believe Hinata and Kageyama were, but Kiyoko mentioned they only met at the beginning of this year and I doubt those two idiots would admit (or recognize) it that fast.

I wonder if I had met a group like them at home if I would have wanted to stay. Sure, I had Jacks, my eternal best friend, and a few other good friends, but I never got the sense that, aside from Jacks, they could become family. Jacks has known me for longer than my brothers, so he already is family to me, but just one friend… Well, as someone who was isolated most of their childhood, I’ve always craved a large family. I finally have that sense when I’m around this team. I think if I stayed here long enough, they could become family to me. 

_ Buzz. Buzz. Buzz-buzz. _ The rattle of my phone has me jumping out of my skin. I lift it- it’s the one for local calls- and see Ushijima’s name on the screen. Since we’ve been running at the same time for the whole week, we decided to exchange numbers so we can keep running together.

_ You didn’t run today. _ Simple, brusque, and always honest. That about sums him up.

**Me:** _ We’re at a training camp. _

**Ushijima:** _ What club are you in? _

**Me:** _ Boy’s volleyball. _

**Ushijima:** _ Ironic. I am, too. _ I was not aware of that. We don’t talk much while we run.

**Me:** _ So we’ll probably play you sometime. That’ll be interesting. _

**Ushijima:** _ I do not know many good things about the Karasuno volleyball team. _

**Me:** _ I do. _

**Ushijima:** _ I hope to face them, then. _

**Me:** _ Yep. _

**Ushijima:** _ When will you return? _

**Me:** _ The end of the week. I’ll run with you again on Saturday. _

**Ushijima:** _ Sounds good.  _ And like that, the conversation is over, just as abruptly as it started. He’s a very good guy, even if he lacks tact. Not to mention, he’s pretty handsome, too. No, wait, I didn’t think that.

Footsteps come from down the hall, saving me from that line of thought.

“Winnie?” It’s Hinata. Of course he’d be the one to wander around in the middle of the night.

“Why are you up, Hinata?”

“Bathroom.”

“Ah. Well, don’t let me hold you up.” I gesture down the hall, just a few doors away, where the bathroom is. Note to self, don’t sit near the bathroom in the future.

“Why are you up?”

“I don’t sleep very well, so I’ve been wandering around the building a bit.” I shoot him a stern look, “Now, you do actually need sleep, so go to the bathroom and get back to bed.”

“But-”

“Hinata, I’m alright, hurry along.” With the harsher tone, he’s spurred into motion and scurries to the bathroom.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to sit with you?” He asks when he returns.

“You need your sleep, Hinata. Get back to bed.”


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ready to meet some more Haikyuu!! characters? That's what this whole chapter is!  
> In other news, I've scrapped my idea of incorporating a KnB crossover into this. I think I can execute about the same concept without the crossover. I'm excited to try, at least.  
> Aside from that, I have about twenty days until I go back to school, though classes don't actually start for a little over a month. Thank you, band camp. I get to move in a full week early, so move-in won't be crowded and I can use the elevator to get to my room! Okay, early move-in may or may not be my main reason for signing up for band... My roommate and I get our own bathroom this year, which is exciting, as well as getting a TV, full-size fridge, and even a microwave. And, we're best friends. So, yeah, I'm pretty pumped to go back.  
> And with that wicked TMI, I'll end this note with some news: I've decided to include a college arc in this. I've also decided to start posting this on ff.n so it'll be up there soon.  
> Enjoy the chapter!

The next day, Hinata had run off during the team jog. Suga had to hunt him down. What Suga didn’t know, however, was that Hinata had bumped into someone from the other team.

“Kenma!” I hear him cry, “You- you’re with Nekoma?” I don’t hear the boy’s response, but Hinata seems slightly confused by it. Then a Tanaka look-alike pops up and asks Hinata why he’s talking to Kenma. Tanaka pops up behind Hinata to defend him. Rather quickly, Suga and a Nekoma player drag the two punks away and apologize. That was a rather interesting exchange. Guess we are somewhat like Nekoma.

“Winnie,” Takeda calls, waiting for me to get closer before speaking, “I have the groceries you wanted. I’ll help you carry them to the kitchen in a few minutes, okay?”

“Don’t worry about it, I can carry them myself.”

“If you’re sure.”

“I am. Just point me towards the kitchen.” Luckily for me, because every student is required to take essentially Home Ec, all the schools have functional kitchens in them. After Takeda gives me directions, I pick up about half the bags and hurry off. I don’t have particularly long to make them snacks, but then, cookies don’t take terribly long to make. Large batches like this, though, will take a fair amount of time to bake. 

“Oh, shoot. Allergies,” I mutter, running to the gym.

“Two! They have two!” the Tanaka look-alike cries. He gets smacked on the back of the head, but still, all heads swivel towards me. I try to ignore it. Takeda, thankfully, is near the door.

“What do you need?”

“No one on the other team has allergies, right?”

“Just let me check.” I nod and back up to the wall behind me, leaning against it, hopefully casually. The eyes that keep flicking in my direction while the two teams warm up set me entirely on edge. Karasuno ignores me for the most part, though Hinata and Noya tried to run over to say hi. They got yelled at a bit for that, citing the need to win today. I attempt to just focus on the coaches. Nekomata seems surprised by the question, glancing at me with raised eyebrows, but responds to Takeda, who signals to me that there aren’t any. I nod and practically run out of the room. Behind me, I hear the Nekoma team start talking.

“Where’s she going?”

“Isn’t she a manager?”

“What’s she doing?” And so on, and so on. Who cares? I get to bake and ignore them, so that’s all that matters. Besides, I’m sure someone from Karasuno will give them an acceptable answer. 

The amount of people I’m making this for, I’ll have to work fast. Karasuno has 12 team members, a manager, and two coaches. Nekoma has only 11 players and two coaches. So it totals to about thirty people. Double the cookies to make ice cream sandwiches, I have to make sixty, cool them, and make the sandwiches. In about an hour. Alright. At least I’ve got several ovens.

I hurry around the room, preheating each oven. In one of the cabinets, I find several large bowls and set about mixing together the dough. Soon enough, I have the cookies on baking sheets and going into the oven, twenty-two per oven. I made twenty-eight extra on the assumption everyone will want an extra cookie. If not, I’ll take the left-overs for myself. 

I dig two cartons of ice cream out of the freezer where I’d stashed them to soften while the cookies bake. I’ll flash cool the cookies in the freezer once they come out.

As I had expected, it’s making the sandwiches themselves that takes the longest. It’s also utterly exhausting, having to scoop out each serving of ice cream and then press the sandwiches and scrape the edges. Somehow, though, I manage to finish everything in just under an hour.

With the sandwiches stored safely in the freezer for now, I wander back to the gym. Hopefully, the game will be just about to wrap up. They’re on their second set, with Nekoma poised to win.

“Takeda-sensei,” I approach quietly, “How long do you anticipate this game taking?”

“Nekoma won the first set, so just a few more minutes if we don’t win this one.”

“Alright. Then I’ll bring the snacks.” Hinata’s head whips towards me from the warm-up box, almost as if he had heard me, but I think that boy just senses food headed in his direction. I flash him a smile and leave to collect the snacks. As I return, I hear a commotion from inside the gym.

“One more! One more match!” Hinata is shouting. That boy will never quit. The coaches agree that another round couldn’t hurt as both teams seem agreeable.

“If you’re going to play again, wouldn’t you like some snacks first?” Two trays are balanced on my hands. One is loaded with sandwiches and the other with plain cookies.

“I knew you were cooking!” Hinata cries, jumping as high as physically possible. Everyone else on Karasuno is equally excited, just far more passively.

“You made that?” Someone on Nekoma asks, sounding unsure of if they want to try it.

“I checked to make sure there weren’t any allergies first. If you don’t want the ice cream, I have just plain chocolate chip cookies, too.”

“Here, Winnie, let me take one of those,” Daichi says smoothly, lifting the sandwiches from me. “Once you say go,” he whispers, “they’ll attack like rabid beasts. It’s best you don’t get surrounded like that, right?” I shoot him an appreciative smile.

“Right, thanks.”

“Winnie’s cooking is amazing!” Tanaka announces in unison with Nishinoya and Hinata.

“It really is,” Daichi agrees. “Go ahead and take one. Make sure to thank Winnie.”

“I made one sandwich for everyone, including the coaches. There should be two extra, too. Just in case.”

“In case?” A tall guy with crazy bed-head asks.

“There was a, ah, incident where a certain someone dropped their entire meal.” The whole team shoots Hinata a look and he starts stuttering to defend himself. “Because of that, I will always try to make extra.” This seems to break the tension in the room, and Nekoma finally approaches to grab the cookies. They all beeline for the sandwiches, making me smile. I knew ice cream was always a good option. Only after all the players have a treat do the coaches and Kiyoko come up to take one. Daichi is the last to get his and there are two left on the tray. 

“Aren’t you going to have one?” Suga sounds so sweet and innocent with his question, but he knows exactly what he’s doing. “After all, you made them. From scratch, right?” I nod and some eyes from the Nekoma players go wide.

“Thank you for the food!” both teams yell and bow at the same time. 

“Ah, well, you’re welcome. Just enjoy it.” I lift the plate in my other hand. “I’ll bring these back when you’re all done for the day. If you want.”

“Definitely!” That was a Nekoma player, with a bleached mohawk. I give them a small smile when everyone else agrees.

“Then, enjoy. I’ll be back in a little bit.”

“Awww, don’t go yet,” Hinata whines, “stay! Talk to us! C’mon, Winnie.” His cajoling sparks both Noya and Tanaka, plus a few of Nekoma’s players to try to talk me into staying. I send a pleading look to Kiyoko. She just shrugs. I turn to Suga next.

“Aren’t you going to eat one, though? At least stay while you eat. They just want to talk to you.” I heave a sigh, set down the plain cookies, and grab a sandwich. I end up swept up in a conversation with Hinata and a boy named Kenma. By “swept up in conversation,” I mean Hinata talked the entire time that Kenma and I ate. Eventually, though, the boy got distracted.

“So, you’re the kid Hinata met when he wandered off.”

“Hmm. Yeah.”

“Kenma, right?”

“Yeah.”

“He said you play games.”

“A bit.”

“I do, too. Usually when I can’t sleep.”

“What games?” I had never expected this quiet child to ask me a question. Thanks to that, we get a real conversation going and, just before they go back to playing, we exchange numbers so we can play together. As the game gets started again, I go back to the kitchen to clean up the mess I made.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was crying over my class schedule and my friend just goes, "You're so stupid. You don't even need that class." So now I'm happy because instead of having classes from 11 to 8, I have them from 11 to 5!  
> And then I had to help her sign up for her classes and she is, quite literally, one credit hour short. It's been a struggle but there's almost nothing still open.  
> Three of my four classes are writing classes, one is a history class (it's required, ugh), and I'm in marching band. It might actually be a good semester!  
> Anyway, now that I've had my rant, here's a new chapter! I included "a bit" more Ushijima in this one.

_ Are you running today? _ My eyes slide over to my phone from where I’m lacing up my shoes. I think he sometimes forgets how much earlier I have to start running so we can run together. Sometimes I come home to see that he texted me almost fifteen minutes after I left.

**Me:** _ Yeah. I’m leaving now. I’ll be there in about thirty minutes. _

**Ushijima:** _ Ah. Sorry. I forgot you have to leave so early. I just wanted to ask if I can run you home.  _ Ah, well, I suppose it couldn’t hurt. He’s definitely doesn’t strike me as the type to have bad intentions. He’s far to blunt for that.

**Me:** _ I guess. It would be safer than running home alone.  _ Nerves hit me, making my hands shake. Why did I agree?

**Ushijima:** _ Great, thanks. See you soon. _ Ugh. Well. What’s done is done. Time to run. If I get nervous, I can always suckerpunch him and make a break for it. 

As I run, my thoughts wander away from Ushijima and to the upcoming tournament. I’ve been told we’ll be playing Aoba Josai soon. Apparently, they played a practice game against them and discovered some bad blood between Kageyama and Oikawa, their setter. His exact words, I’m told, were that he wants to “crush Kageyama like a bug.” All I can say in response to that is that he had better not touch anyone on my team or  _ I’ll _ crush  _ him _ like a bug. Tanaka also informed me that Oikawa has a fanclub. Of course, this means Tanaka is jealous, but that’s to be expected, isn’t it? I didn’t even bother asking Kageyama about him- that boy’s face was answer enough. I think that glare could kill.

“You look pensive today.” Ushijima falls into step beside me as I pass Shiratorizawa.

“I guess. Interhigh is soon, so there’s that.”

“Oh, yes, I suppose this will be your first time seeing a real game.” 

“Yeah. I mean, I saw the game between Karasuno and Nekoma the other day, but that was a practice game.”

“A real game will be far more intense.”

“I don’t think that’s possible, but we’ll see.”

“I guess, since it was the Battle of the Garbage Dump.” Of course he would know about that. I smirk slightly and we lapse into silence for the next portion of our run.

Then, he says, “are you still okay with me running you home?” My heart rate jumps.

“Yeah, I’m sure.”

“If you don’t want me knowing where you live, I can turn back sooner.”

“I might just take you up on that.”

“Alright.” And we’re back to the comfortable silence we usually run in. At the spot he would normally turn at, he stays next to me. Am I really going to let him come with me? But, at the same time, do I have a reason to say no? He won’t actually find out where I live. That one comfort is the only reason I’m not chickening out and telling him to go back.

“This is a pretty deserted area.”

“I guess. I didn't really notice. As I mentioned, I lived in a pretty rural area back in the States.”

“It just doesn’t seem safe for you to run alone here at night.”

“Believe me, I can take care of myself.”

“I wasn’t-”

“Trying to be rude, I know. Still, I can handle myself in a fight. I’ll be alright.”

“If you say so.” I smile and leave the conversation there. The thing is, he really hadn’t been rude, just overly honest. Anyone else said that to me and I might’ve punched them. Actually, I have punched people- namely, my brothers- for saying something like that. Honestly, why people think I can’t fight is beyond me. In America, I actually managed to make a name for myself as an amazing Hunter. Back in the States, my brothers and I hunted supernatural creatures who were threats to humans. Granted, that’s not exactly government sanctioned, so we also had to make sure we didn’t get caught. It’s a miracle we haven’t been. When I struck out on my own for a while, I became pretty famous among the Hunters because of how good I got. But now my mind is wandering.

I glance up at the tall boy next to me. All I really know about him is that he plays volleyball at a prestigious school, is left handed, and is really bright, if socially inept. But what more do you need to know about someone to run with them?

Our feet take us past Karasuno. We’re only about ten minutes from my apartment, if we run at full speed.

“Do you mind turning back here? It’s only a few minutes to my home from here. I’ll be alright.”

“Of course. See you tomorrow.”

“See you.” 

When I reach my apartment, I trudge into the kitchen, phone in hand. There’s a message, but first, I need something to eat. And water. Definitely water. I grab a bottle and an apple and settle onto my bed. I’ll shower in a bit. I need to rest first. After all, the whole point of these runs is to exhaust me.

_ Can we still run together on Saturday? I really, really want to!!!!  _ It’s from Hinata. The number of exclamation points makes me laugh. What else had I expected? He has no chill, really.

_ Of course. After practice. _

_ Yay! I can’t wait! _ I toss the phone to the side and flip through the channels on the TV. There’s nothing I’m super interested in, but maybe some background noise will help me fall asleep. Another message comes in.

_ Don’t wear the idiot out too much. We actually kind of need him. _ Tsukishima. Now, how did he know about our plan so quickly? I chuckle and ignore the message. I really am glad I joined this team.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry for these being late! I only realized as I was going to post today's chapter that I had forgotten all of last week. I'm packing to move back to school, which really isn't a good enough excuse for this, but it's all I've got.  
> Somewhere along the same thread, I start having band camp exactly one week from today, and just three days after that, classes start. So my updates might be a little spotty or random for that.  
> Well, anyway, to make up for being late, here, have three chapters.

“Winnie! Are you ready? Let’s go! Hurry up!” Hinata, that crazy ball of energy, is jumping up and down in front of my face. Seriously, I figured after practice would be a good time to run with him because he’d be tired. I guess that’s not the case.

“Where are you guys going?” Daichi asks, coming up behind Hinata and attempting to get him to stop jumping.

“We’re going for a run together. I promised him.”

“Ah. Then I’ll give you the club room key so you’ll have somewhere to keep your things.”

“Thanks.” I accept the key and turn to Hinata. “Now, please stop jumping. You’ll wear yourself out before we even get to running. And we’re not going for very long, okay? You just had practice and we can’t have you wearing yourself down before the tournament.”

“Right!” He agrees, but goes right on jumping, springing to the door and out down the steps.

“Will you be able to keep up with him?” I glance over at Daichi. Sugawara comes up on the other side of me.

“I’m not concerned about that. I’m worried he’ll be too tired to keep up with me.” I pause, then add, “Don’t worry. I won’t wear him out. And I’ll make sure he gets home safely.”

“Good,” Suga says, “Sometimes I worry he doesn’t know his own limits.”

“I don’t think he knows when to stop, but I don’t necessarily think it’s a bad thing. He pushes himself past his limits, which will expand them.” I shrug my shoulders as I continue, “As long as pushing his limits doesn’t hurt him, I’ll continue to encourage it.”

“Winnie, you’re really a great friend, you know that, right?”

I wave him off and head out, the urge to sprint away from the uncomfortable comment riding me hard. Luckily enough, I’m about to go run. But really, why do people keep saying that? I’m not doing anything special.

“Alright, kid,” I adjust my shoes quickly, “you ready?”

“Yeah!” The little redhead takes off ahead of me, sprinting for the front gate. I catch up rather easily and quickly admonish him.

“Hey, not so fast. You’ll burn yourself out.” He sighs, but listens and settles into a run instead of a sprint. “Don’t sigh at me. We’re running, not sprinting, yeah?”

“Yeah, yeah. I just wanna go fast like  _ zwoom _ .” Yeah, so, how am I supposed to respond to that? Well, I have one idea.

“Save the  _ zwoom _ for in a game, okay? Can’t have anyone seeing our secret weapon outside of the court.” The kid laughs and agrees, placated now that I’ve offered a game and solution. Honestly, despite being a teenager, he really is just like a child. Probably doesn’t help his case that he looks like one, too.

“Where are we going to run to?”

“How about to my apartment, a few blocks further, then back? Fifteen minutes out and fifteen back.”

“Aww, that short?”

“You just had practice. A half an hour run is fine. Besides, I’m going on another run later and I know Daichi had you all run earlier.”

“But-”

“Don’t forget you still have to bike over the mountain.”

“Will you point out your apartment?”

“I’ll point out the building.” Yeah, I’d like to keep my exact address a secret for now. Something tells me this brat would show up every other day if I told him where I live. And by “something,” I mean the fact that Kageyama was complaining that Hinata had been at his house three times last week, popping up out of the blue. Though, I’ll admit, Kageyama didn’t really seem too upset to be spending more time with Hinata. I think it was just the “out of the blue” thing that Kageyama couldn’t handle.

“Fiiiine.” I shoot him a look that clearly says not to complain and he hushes up. Thankfully, he doesn’t feel the need to race me like he does Kageyama. 

“You’re really quiet.”

“Hinata. Some of us like to conserve our oxygen while running.”

“What do you mean?”

“That means we don’t waste our breath by talking.”

“Ooooooh. That makes sense. You’re so smart, Winnie! That must be why you’re in class four.” Oh, my gosh, this child could not be any denser.

“Ah, I’m pretty sure that was luck more than anything else. Plus, I had an advantage with the English exam. And the Japanese one, math one, and science one were all pretty much identical to what I would have expected in the States, so they weren’t too difficult.”

“Yeah, but still! And this isn’t even your first language! But you sound fluent.” Ah- yeah, but I cheated in terms of learning Japanese. I am friends with an Angel, after all. I just had him transfer the knowledge of the language into my mind. Not that I don’t have trouble with all the forms sometimes, but I can generally do alright.

“Well, math and science aren’t centered around language, and the Japanese exam was identical to the English ones back home, so really, there wasn’t anything new.”

“Like I said, you’re really smart.” I sigh and just accept the compliment. I wasn’t exactly considered smart back home. It took a lot of work for me to be able to do well in my classes. Plus, I have to take a bunch of meds every day because of my depression, or I lose all ability to concentrate and stay aware through the entire day. So, I wouldn’t really say I’m smart. Just… used to pushing myself. Thankfully, the kid stops talking once I agree with him. We make it almost all the way back to Karasuno before he speaks again.

“You know, I’m really glad you’re our manager.” My head jerks around to stare down at him. “You’re really nice, a good cook, and you care about everyone. You even make sure you talk to everyone everyday! Just to get to know them! I know Daichi and Suga talk to all of us, but they do it when we’re still grouped up. You get everyone alone and talk to them.”

“Well, yeah, isn’t that what friends are supposed to do?”

“Yeah,” we jog through the gates of the school, slowing down gradually, “But you’re more like a big sister than a friend. You care about everyone like a big sister, too.” I can’t help but smile a little. I’ve always been either the only child, problem child, or little sister. No one has ever actually looked up to me before.

“That means a lot, Hinata-san. Thank you.”

“You can call me just Hinata, you know.”

“Alright, Hinata. Now, go stretch out properly. Don’t let yourself get injured.” We have a game coming up soon, after all.  
“Winnie, Hinata was right.” Noya bounds up next to me. I glance over and see Asahi with his head in his hands, staring at the books surrounding where they were sitting. “You really are like a sister! You’re awesome!”

“Yeah, yeah,” I reach out and shove his shoulder gently, “You just want to sound cool, Noya.” I tilt my head towards Asahi. “What’s he helping you with today?”

“English.”

“Are you making any progress?” When Noya pouts, I can’t help but chuckle. “Want me to join you?”

“Really?” His eyes shine and he pops up on his tiptoes.

“Yep. Just give me a few minutes to change into some normal clothes.”

“Yay! Don’t take too long!”

“Why are you guys studying outside, by the way?”

“Oh, all the other clubs have left, so the school is locked.”

“But it’s too hot out right now. We really should study inside.”

“Yeah, but Asahi and I don’t live very close to each other, so this is easier.” Ah, about what I was saying before. Not wanting them to know where I live? Yeah, I’m about to sacrifice my privacy for these two lazy bums.

“I only live a ten minute walk away. Want to go to my apartment?” I assume from his freaking out that the answer is yes, so I wave to Asahi and hurry to the changing room. When I come back out, I lock up all the rooms, send Hinata on his way, and then lead the others to my apartment. Now maybe I’m exaggerating here a little bit, but Noya reminds me a little of those puppies that pee themselves because they’re so excited, with the way he’s jumping all over the place.

“You live alone, right?” Noya asks as we step inside.

“I do,” I agree, slipping out of my shoes and setting my bag off to one side. “Come on in.” I wander into the living room and glance back to see them standing there. I tilt my head, confused.

“Ah, what’s wrong?”

“It’s okay that we’ll be barefoot?”

“You have socks on, right? I don’t particularly care. Besides, I never wear shoes at home. Why would I expect you to?”

“Noya,” Asahi taps the other boy’s shoulder. “She’s from America. She probably doesn’t keep slippers for guests.” I turn to them fully, raising a hand.

“Is that something I should do? Would that make you more comfortable next time?”

“Ah, no, no, it’s alright! Just different. We always wear slippers at home.”

“I never do. I don’t really know anyone who does. Some people even wear ‘outside’ shoes through the entire house.” Their eyes go wide at that, but they slip out of their shoes and step directly onto the raised floor, not touching the lower floor with their socks like I did. More culture stuff for me to learn.

“Would you guys like anything to eat or drink? It is a bit after lunchtime.”

“You’ll cook for us, Winnie?”

“I need to eat, too, so I don’t mind.”

“Well, I don’t have ingredients for anything fancy… Have you ever had grilled cheese?” Both of their eyes go wide, so I take that as a no.

“What’s grilled cheese?” Asahi asks. He seems pretty fidgety, but Noya is leaning pretty close to him, so that must be helping his nerves.

“Bread and cheese. But it tastes better than it sounds. I, um,” I hesitate. Do I really want to offer this? “I can make you soup to go with it. That’s how most people eat it, I guess.” Soup and I really don’t get along. Hello, PTSD. Nope, not gonna talk about it. Or think about it. Let’s move on.

“You guess?”  
“I usually just have fruit and other sides. But most people eat it with tomato soup.”

“We’ll just have whatever you have,” Noya decides, leaning up against the island. I half expect him to sit on it at some point during the day.

“Alright, then. Apple and orange slices sound good to you?” They both grin and agree. Thankfully, they’re both relatively healthy eaters, unlike Hinata. I don’t think he eats anything but meat buns. At least, if he has the option.

I move quickly, buttering about a dozen slices of bread and slicing some cheddar cheese. I couldn’t find American processed cheese here, but I’ve always preferred cheddar, so this will be fine. I lay the thick slices over the bread and set about cooking the sandwiches. As soon as they’re done, I cut them all in half, stack them on a plate, and pull out my apples. I think one each will be fine. Probably. I have a little tool that peels, cores, and slices apples all in one go, so I just let it do all the work for me. The oranges are easy, too. One each, again. I arrange the slices on plates for each of us and gesture to the table.

“Go ahead, let’s sit.” In the center goes the large platter of sandwiches and they each get a plate of fruits. “What would you like to drink. I have milk, orange juice, apple juice, lemonade…” I think I have some soda, too, but I don’t bother offering it. I doubt either of them would particularly want it, anyway.

“What are you having?”

“Lemonade.” The answer is immediate. Out of the juices I have, that’s what I always have with lunch.

“Could I have apple juice?”

“I’d like water.” Leave it to Asahi to ask for water. I’m sure he just doesn’t want to be rude, but really, he could have whatever he wanted.

I pour the drinks and pass them out. They eat incredibly quickly, finishing several sandwiches in the time it takes me to eat the one I managed to steal for myself.

“Okay, now, both of you, show me what’s going to be on your tests.” Asahi is organized, and smart, but English isn’t his best class. Actually, that study session could be considered the vision impaired leading the bat-in-pitch-black blind. They pass over the worksheets and I set to work trying to explain how the topics work. Vocab is just hard memorization, but I can at least help with conjugation and grammar. I think.

Yeah, right. I end up calling Suga.

“Suga, help! I’m trying to help Asahi and Noya with English. I know nothing.”

“Aren’t you fluent in English?”

“Yeah, but there’s terms on here I never even knew existed. What is pluperfect? Are we sure that’s not a made up word?” If no one was around me, I’d be cussing up a storm right now. Seriously.

Suga just laughs on the other end of the line, “Relax. It is a thing, you just don’t know that you use it because no one ever taught you the specific terms for it. Just look over the examples and then explain why they work like that. Leave the definition stuff to rote memorization.”

“Okay, that works. Thanks. I was getting mad at the worksheets.”

“Well, you’re not even taking English, right? You’re taking some other Japanese class, aren’t you? They pull you out for it.”

“Yeah, because English is my first language and it’d be stupid to test me in it. I go to a different classroom for Japanese Literature with Takeda. I think it might actually be a second year class, but it works for me.”

“Really? So you take two Japanese Lit classes? Though, I guess you’ve never taken it before, so anything they give you would be new. Well, I’ll let you get back to it. I’ve got some homework I need to power through.”

“Have fun,” I chuckle. “Okay, then. Suga helped. I was panicking because I don’t know the definition for these terms, but I do actually know why you use these tenses, so I can at least explain that to you.” And finally, the lesson goes swimmingly. Except that Noya can’t sit still for more than about five minutes at a time.


	12. Chapter 12

“Busy day?”

“It could’ve been worse. I ended up doing more than I planned.”

“Team?”

“Of course. Asahi and Noya needed help with English and were trying to help each other.”

“Blind leading the blind?”

“Kind of. Asahi isn’t really blind… Maybe just vision impaired?”

“I see.”

“How about you? Busy day?”

“Just practice and homework.” I groan at that.

“Dang. I haven’t done mine yet.”

“You still have tomorrow.”

“Good point.” Ushijima and I lapse into silence at that. We don’t ever really talk much, but we do enough to be considered friends. Or at least acquaintances. When we start to near my apartment, he speaks up again.

“Would you like to get a drink together sometime?” Hang on, this boy isn’t entirely socially inept?

Ok, focus. Does he consider it a date? Or a pre-date type thing since we don’t really know much about each other?

Pros: Ushijima is nice, doesn’t talk too much, and is handsome. We definitely get along and he’s old(ish) for his grade.

Cons: He’s on an opposing team and I know very little about him. Though, I guess getting coffee would let me get to know him.

“I wouldn’t mind that. Text me to set it up?”

“I will. Thank you.” There he goes again, that perfectly sincere voice. He never says anything he doesn’t mean. When I glance up, he thinks I’m not looking, and I can see a small smile on his face. Not something big, but just a pleased quirk of his lips. I smile a bit, too.

When I get back to the apartment, there’s a message on my phone. I grab a water and an apple and settle onto my bed.

**Kenma:** _I’m going to log on in a half hour. Want to play together?_ He sent the message about ten minutes ago, so I have a little time to settle in before playing.

 **Me:** _Can you wait fifteen extra minutes? I just got back from a run now and want to shower._

He responds almost immediately.  _ Alright. _

Why do I always get along best with the ones who are quietest? Not that I have any room to talk.

I slip away to the bathroom and take a quick five minutes to wash up before wrapping up in comfy pajamas and twisting the towel around my hair.

**Me:** _What’s your username?_

I send the message and pull up the site. I’m a bit earlier than the anticipated thirty-five minutes, but if I know anything about Kenma, he won’t mind that. From what I know, he’s almost always playing something.

**Kenma:** _applepi_

What?

**Me:** _What?_

 **Kenma:** _Huh?_

 **Me:** _I’ve played with you before. Hang on, let me log in. You’ll definitely recognize my username._

Oh, my gosh. Hang on. So, about four or so months ago, I was in a really tight spot. I was on the run and ended up playing online games a lot to pass the time. They couldn’t be traced back to me, so there was never a concern for my safety. I got close to a player from Japan who spoke pretty good English. When everything came to a head, I told him what was about to go down and he listened, was concerned I might get caught, and told me to stay safe. His username was applepi.

I log in quickly.

_ So. You’re applepi. _

_ And you’re hunt!ng. _

_ Yep. _

_ For some reason, I thought you were a guy. _

_ And I assumed you were a girl. _

_ In any case, it’s good to know you’re doing well. It’s been a while since you logged on. _

_ Yeah. Since I moved here, and I was pretty inconsistent for a few months before that. _

_ Why? _

_ I’ll tell you if you promise to keep everything we talk about between the two of us, past and future. _

_ Of course. Kuro doesn’t even know that I talk to people on here. _

_ Actually, that’s pretty comforting, for some reason. _

_ If I don’t tell him, who would I tell, right? _

_ Exactly. Well, basically, I stopped coming on after moving here because I was so busy. And before that, well, I had this pretty epic breakdown after getting back home. The stress of running away and everything else that happened finally got to me once I was safe in my own home. _

_ I see. And you’re better now? _

_ The actual breakdown only lasted about two weeks, but the next two months were recovering from that and planning to come here, so I’d say I’m doing much better. Plus, I have far less triggers here than I did in the States. Pretty much no one here has the silhouette that I’m touchy about, so I don’t have to worry about that. _

_ I’m glad. Shall we play? _

_ Yes!  _ I snuggle back into my pillows, set my fingers on the keys, and we get to playing, absolutely destroying everyone who stands in our way. Who says running away and having nothing to do gives you no skills?


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, as I was uploading this, I noticed I had copied and pasted the wrong chapter. Please, if there's ever a jump that seems to make no sense between chapters, let me know! I probably made this mistake and, while I try to skim through to check for errors semi-frequently, I might not catch it for a while.  
> Thanks!  
> And, as promised, here's the third chapter for today.

“Okay, the tournament starts tomorrow! Get a good night’s rest and a good breakfast tomorrow.”

“Hai!” The boys shout in unison, drawing a slight chuckle from me. We’ve stayed back a bit later than usual, not to train, but to discuss our opponents. If we win the first two games, we’ll be up against Aoba Josai for the second one. I’m interested to see this Oikawa character.

While they’re talking, I remember a few things I need to do.

“Kiyoko, I need to step out for a second. I’ll be right back.” She nods, not bothering to respond verbally, and I make my way quietly out the door. As I do, I make eye contact with Takeda and nod to let him know I’m fine. Outside, I slip my phone out and pull up my messages to Ushijima.

**Me:** _Hey, sorry, practice is running late today, so I won’t be running._

 **Ushijima:** _Neither will I because of the tournament tomorrow._

 **Me:** _Oh, right! Do well!_

 **Ushijima:** _I will, thank you. I hope your team does, as well._

And with that, I flip through my contacts and pull up my brother’s. It’s their turn to accommodate my sleep schedule.

“Ava?”

“Hey, Dean. How is everything?”

“Alright. Gabe wandered off, so Cas and Sam are out trying to find him while I stay here to see if he’ll come back.”

“You got babysitting duty.”

“I did not.”

“Did, too. Who’s in the bunker with you?”

“...Charlie.” I have to hold back a squeal.

“Oh, my gosh! Can I talk to her?” Apparently the question was a moot point because I hear someone talk in the background.

“Dean, did they find Gabe?”

“No, this is Ava.”

“Give me the phone!” There’s sounds of a bit of a scuffle on the other side and then the phone is in Charlie’s hands.

“Ava! It’s so good to hear from you!”

“Hi, Charlie, how’ve you been?” And she goes off on a long rambling explanation of her last two months, since that’s how long it’s been since I spoke to her.

“Charlie, put her on speaker, at least.”

“And how are you, Ava?”

“Good. I’m back in school, so maybe I’ll actually finish high school this time. I’m managing a volleyball team. Their first tournament is tomorrow.”

“Wish them luck,” the two say in unison.

“I will. I’ve got to go, but I’ll let you know how the tournament went. Dean, are we still on for next weekend?”

“Yeah, but it might just be Sam.”

“No problem. Love you. Bye.” Dean returns the sentiment and hangs up. When I glance back inside, as I had expected, everyone has filed out.

“You have a bunker?” That’s Tsukishima, but he’s speaking English.

“That’s what we call our house.”

“And what’s that about actually finishing high school this time?”

“I missed an entire year back home. I would have had to restart from there if I wanted to graduate. Coming here put me back in my actual grade. So maybe this time, I’ll get to graduate on time.” One year late, cough cough. Oops. I feel a little bad lying to them, but what can you do about it? I have to lie otherwise I risk getting arrested. And then I’ll never be able to catch my mom. His eyes narrow like he doesn’t believe what I said.

“My family wishes the team the best of luck for tomorrow,” I switch back to Japanese as I walk past him, tapping him on the shoulder as I do.

“We thank them.” And then I’m out of his hearing range and at the girl’s locker room.

“You’re still here, Kiyoko?”

“Yes. I wanted to make sure everything was alright.”

“I’m fine, but thank you for thinking of me. I just had a scheduled call with my family. I didn’t expect practice to run late tonight.” I set about changing and she doesn’t bother turning away. It doesn’t matter, since I wear an extra tank top and spandex shorts under all my clothes for this very reason.

“I see.” She looks down.

“Was there something you wanted to talk to me about?”

“Oh, no, it’s just-”

“So, basically, yes, there was.” I smirk at her and she blushes.

“Yes, there was.”

“Go for it.”

“Well, only one of us will be allowed on the bench tomorrow…”

“You. Of course. You’ve been with the team the longest.”

“But, you-”

“No, no. It’s fine. Would I like to be on the bench with them? Yes. Does it make any sense for me to be? No. Maybe at the next tournament, we can take turns, so I get a chance, but for this one, it’s all you. Honestly, I have no clue what I’d even be there for.” She agrees and looks to the ground again. “What else?”

“I just was thinking that at the end of the year, we’ll both graduate, and the team won’t have a manager.”

“Should we find a first year to train?” Her head snaps up. Bingo. That’s what she was thinking.

“You don’t mind?”

“Why should I? You made a good point.”

“Well, I just didn’t want you to think that you weren’t doing well.”

“How about this? We’ll keep the status quo for now, through this tournament. No use throwing a newbie right into the middle of a tournament. That’ll just overwhelm them. After the tournament, we can start looking for a first year who’s not in any clubs and recruit them. This way, they get to be introduced to us during a not-too-stressful time.”

“That’s perfect! I’ll start sketching flyers to pass out.” I smile and agree and she hurries off. 


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some food for the boys, Winnie's initial opinion of Oikawa, and a missing Hinata and Kagayama.  
> So that's what's up for this chapter.  
> For me, I have the next three days to pack to move to school. I have to leave at four in the morning to make it by my check-in time, which I'm seriously not pleased about, but at least I can sleep in the car. And I'm excited to get back to air conditioning (mine is broken, at the moment, and has been for two weeks and its seriously hot out). Plus, getting to see my best friend again. And marching band.  
> I'm hoping to get a couple more chapters written this weekend- after a bout of writer's block, which I broke today, I'm just about at the forty chapter mark on this fic and I'm still not even halfway. I'm honestly shocked at how long this thing could go and, seriously, I do plan to include some of college... so yeah, I hope you're okay with being stuck with me for a while.  
> I'm rambling, so here, enjoy the chapter!

“We won that first one,” Ukai lectures, “but don’t get cocky. We still have to beat Date Tech. Stay warm. We’ll be up again soon.” Daichi just totally demolished his friend from middle school, but they still seem friendly afterwards, so I figure there’s no hard feelings there. Thankfully. We don’t have space to deal with emotional trauma at the moment.

Date Tech is next. The ones who blocked out Asahi the entire game last time. And now, they have an even bigger and stronger first year to complete their “Iron Wall.” Besides, that little pointing schtick earlier did  _ not _ help team morale. Asahi is, to put it lightly, practically dead from fear. To be expected, I guess, since anyone would be scared to face them after what happened last time and Asahi is a glass heart.

“Winnie brought you all lunches. They’re light and well balanced. Line up to get one from her, don’t just mob her.” Right. Because telling them not to mob me definitely means they won’t. The team idiots have no semblance of self control.

“He said to line up!” Daichi yells at the clump of dorks already crowded around me. They back off immediately, thankfully. I’m getting better at handling their closeness, but it’s still a bit much at times.

“Thank you, Winnie,” they all say as they take the tupperware container from me. Inside is plenty of fruits, some starches, and a bit of protein. Nothing that will be a heavy weight in their stomach, but they’ll definitely have enough energy to make it through the next game. I did a fair amount of research to figure out what I should put into the bentos. Once they all have one, I hand the remaining ones to Ukai, Takeda, and Kiyoko, saving one for myself. 

“Hey, Asahi,” I wave him over. We talk for a few minutes about the game from March and how today will be different. “Just remember. You have your team behind you. Noya will get the ball back up, and Hinata will help open the wall for you. You’re not alone.” With that, we go our separate ways until the game.

The game itself is incredible to see. And at the end, the little sunshine of our team has made himself a friend. Aone, the big first year, even comes to say goodbye to Hinata. I’ll never understand that child, but I will grant that he has a magnetic personality.

When we’re done, we settle into the balcony seats to watch Aoba Josai’s game. Number one’s eyes make me shiver.

“You okay, Winnie?” I’m sitting next to Suga, so of course he noticed.

“Yeah. Number one is just creepy.”

“Creepy? Most girls love him. He’s got a fan club.” Tanaka growls at the mention of the fan club.

“That’s Oikawa, then?”

“That’s him.”

“I guess he is good looking. But his eyes are creepy. I don’t trust him. Maybe he’s different off the court?”

Kageyama speaks up this time. “He’s different when he’s not facing an opponent. If he were to run into us off the court, he’d be exactly like that. But talking to one of his fans, or just his friends, he’s perfectly normal.” The conversation drifts to how Oikawa plays, rather than his personality, but I keep watching him. How he speaks, how he moves. Everything just… unsettles me.

Perfectly normal is subjective to me. After all, when I was ten, I was attacked by a “perfectly normal office worker.” That guy was perfectly average in every way. If I had known what I do now, I would never have even looked at him. Because most people failed to see the look in his eyes. Oikawa has that same look. Now, maybe Oikawa isn’t a psychopath. But he wants to crush his opponents. Which is exactly what that guy wanted to do to me (no comment on whether or not he succeeded).

“Hey, Suga,” I tug his sleeve as everyone else is distracted with getting ready to go. “Can you help make sure Oikawa doesn’t get anywhere near me?”

“Is something wrong?”

“I told you before, I don’t like his eyes. I don’t trust him. Just… I’d rather not risk him getting close and me having an issue.” Yeah, I’m not giving any more detail than that. Let’s not talk about my childhood trauma.

“No problem. We’ll make sure someone is always with you, so at the very least, he never catches you alone.”

“Thanks.”

“It’s really not a problem. Teams take care of each other, right?” I smile and agree and we load our things onto the bus. My phone vibrates while we’re waiting on Hinata and Kageyama.

**Ushijima:** _How did it go today?_

 **Me:** _It actually went well. I was worried about the Date Tech game for our Ace, but he held up just fine._

 **Ushijima:** _I’m glad to hear it. Best of luck against Aoba Josai tomorrow._

 **Me:** _Thanks. Same to you._

“Okay,” Ukai finally snaps, “Will someone go find them?”

“I’ll go,” I volunteer immediately. Everyone else has already done enough today. I just sat by and watched.


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! Sorry for missing two updates, but I had band camp and it was 12 hour days and I collapsed as soon as I got back to my room.  
> On the flip side, I'm finally back at college and I'm so happy about that! I get to room with my best friend this year (we met in the dorms last year) and I'm soooo happy because she's so amazing.  
> In any case, I'm putting up two chapters today to make up for missing my updates.  
> Please, enjoy, and comment so I can improve!

“Tobio-chan~” Someone sings, voice mockingly sweet. Tobio… Isn’t that Kageyama’s name? “How’s the King doing?”

Yep, it’s Kageyama. With Oikawa, Iwaizumi, and two of their first years. The ones who went to school with Kageyama. Hinata calls one of them Turnip-head.

“Don’t call me that,” Kageyama says softly.

“But, Tobio-chan, that’s your nickname.” Iwaizumi sighs at Oikawa’s antics, pulls out his phone, and ignores the setter. The first years snicker at every like Oikawa delivers. And with every line, Kageyama tenses further.

“How’s your new little boyfriend?”

“He couldn’t get a boyfriend if he tried,” Turnip-head sneers.

“Believe us, we’d know,” his friend tacks on, leaning into him. A couple, then. But their eyes burn on Kageyama, who looks away, shoulders tight and hands clenched painfully. 

Hold up. Were they in a poly-relationship at one point? And they’re treating him like this? They were the ones to make the nickname and plan to abandon him on the court, I’d bet.

“Excuse me.”

“Let’s talk, Tobio-chan!”

“I need to go.” But they continue blocking his way, despite the repeated pleas to be allowed to go. I narrow my eyes on them. That is so not okay.

Before I step into their line of sight, I take a deep breath, smoothing out my face, and then walk forward.

“Kageyama!” I set one hand on his shoulder. “I need you to go see if Hinata’s in the bathroom. I’ve looked everywhere else. Then get to the bus, okay?”

The bathroom is in the opposite direction of Oikawa and his goons. A perfect escape for Kageyama. He nods sharply. I watch him hurry off, grumbling about Hinata being a stupid shrimp, the sad and scared tension vanishing from his shoulders. When he’s out of hearing range, I turn to the group, making direct eye contact with Iwaizumi.

“You know, in America, they have anti-bullying campaigns. One of the biggest things they say is that those who do nothing are just as bad as those who help.” My eyes are burning and I’m sure they’re glowing green at this point, a quality our family’s eyes take when we get angry. “Now get out of my way and stay away from Kageyama.”

“What’ll you do if we don’t, tell on us?” Oikawa sneers, living up to my assumptions of him.

“Do you know what a group of crows is called in English?” I pause for a moment, then continue, seeing the confusion on their faces. “A murder.”

“Oh, so you’ll kill me? Yeah, right.” The group laughs, but Iwaizumi seems relatively unsure. He grabs Oikawa’s arm, but gets shaken off.

“And just what makes you think you’d be the first man I’ve ever killed?” Thank god this is happening long after the tournament- the hall is mostly clear. Their eyes go wide and they take a stuttering step back. I know exactly what I look like right now. Cold. Harsh. Danger. Death. 

Honestly, I wish I was exaggerating with that last one. But I can feel that I’m standing the way I do before a Hunt. 

Too many times, monsters have said that I’m just a little girl. Too many times, I’ve been underestimated. Too many times, I’ve been told a human could never kill the likes of them. Too many times, I’ve proven them all wrong. And it all starts with this look.

I once read that the most frightening person to fight is the one who doesn’t fear death. I fit that category. Death is more of an old friend to me. One I saw every time my mother locked me in that dinky closet with cans of condensed soup. One I saw when I got kidnapped. One I saw when I was in the hospital. One I saw the first five times I tried to kill myself. One I saw whenever I made a mistake on a hunt. I’ve almost died far too many times to fear the reapers. When I walk into a fight now, I do it with the knowledge that I could die and prepare myself to take their hand and walk away from this world.

And all that shows in the way my eyes gleam. I am a Winchester, after all. One of the most deadly Hunters from North America. Renowned enough that I had monsters hunting me down. My last name initially drew them in, hoping to punish me for my father’s and brothers’ actions, but before long it wasn’t just that. They hunted me for me. 

And you know what’s the most terrifying? All of that shows in the way I hold myself. Feet slightly spread, knees slightly bent, arms hovering at my sides, not tense, but ready to move at the slightest sign of attack. My face is blank, unnerving, and my eyes glint in the sun. My voice has deepened and sharpened, cracking like a whip in the way I speak just barely above a whisper. I’ve done this too many times to not know that I look and sound like a killer when I get like this. 

Iwaizumi grabs Oikawa and drags him away, the first years tight on their heels as they try not to run.

Footsteps start behind me. I relax from my stance, straightening up, and putting  some emotion back into my face. Behind me, Hinata yells my name. The smile that splits my lips is easy and real. All that stuff I just mentioned? Once upon a time, I wished it wasn’t me. But now, I wouldn’t trade it for the world. It lets me protect the people I care about without having to raise a finger.

“Come on,” I wave them forward, “We’ve gotta go.”


	16. Chapter 16

I don’t like him. Nope. Nu-uh. Not one bit. First, his eyes. Then, his comments on the news last night. Honestly, could he be more impolite about our team? And now, we’re actually playing against him. That comment to his team that sounded like a threat, even to the coach? Sounded doubly like a threat to me. I think I actually flinched a little. And then when he was talking to Kageyama, he got that look in his eyes again.

I won’t- and can’t- deny that he’s good. The kid can clearly play well. But he sets off all the warning bells in my head and, honestly, I want to get my team the hell away from him. Not that I actually can.

And I haven’t even mentioned what happened yesterday.

“Oikawa-senpai,” two girls wail from across from me. Seriously? They’re crying? I mean, he’s good, but sob-worthy? I don’t think so. He’s just pulling out all the stops at the start of the game to psych out our team. It’s likely he won’t get this creative later on, though really, that’s an assumption on my part. I’m just going off what I’ve seen Jacks do when he’s playing football. He was the starting quarterback for my old high school and he would do a bunch of creative stuff right at the start to psych out the other team and make them unsure of what he’s going to do, then play pretty much normally for the rest of the game. 

And, true to form, that’s essentially what happens. But, despite playing incredibly hard, we don’t manage to come out on top. They beat us in a duece. We even hit over thirty points, but our momentum slipped and they won. In any event, I doubt we were ready to take on Shiratorizawa. From what Ushijima has told me about their training regiments, there’s a reason they’re the best in the prefecture. We need more time to train before we can go up against them.

I anticipated tears. That’s not what I got. Sure, it was fairly obvious that some of them were holding their tears back, but they didn’t cry. Instead, they seemed angry with themselves. Especially Kageyama and Hinata.

Takeda told me on the bus, after everyone fell asleep, that he had found Hinata yelling at Kageyama to “never say tossing to him was a mistake.” Those two will fight harder than anyone else. Hinata because he finally has a team he can play with and Kageyama because he is finally learning what it means to trust his teammates. 

There was no practice this morning, but I did have to go speak to a teacher about my plans for a future. No thoughts needed there: I’m going to culinary school to become a chef. But when they asked if I’d be quitting the club…

_ “Why would I quit when I’ve only just joined? They’re going places. I intend to be there to watch. Besides, culinary school is about my cooking skills, not my social studies grade. After you pressured me to join a club, are you really going to push me to quit?” _ I believe those were my exact words.

Takeda called us third years in to talk later. Asahi doesn’t plan to attend college, so he didn’t have to come, but Daichi, Suga, Kiyoko, and I were there. And our answers were all the same: we want to take the team to the top. So we ended up getting our way.

I think the worst was that afternoon practice was supposed to be canceled, too. But Kiyoko and I walk over together when we hear shouting coming from the gym. Sure enough, Kageyama and Hinata are already in there, surrounded by balls. The second years show up at almost the same time as us. Then, everyone is staring at us, waiting.

“You’re still going to the spring tournament, right?” But I can hear footsteps behind us and gently brush my fingers over Kiyoko’s wrist, signaling for her to wait. Then, Suga, Daichi, and Asahi burst into the room and Kiyoko speaks.

“Yes, we are.” We send everyone off to get changed and then come back, huddling up for a minute.

“We have to practice harder than ever. We know where we fall short now. We need to fix it. We need to be stronger to beat Seijoh.”

“Whenever you face an opponent that is stronger than you, you need to use every trick you know and aggressively attack their weaknesses. And do not ever lose hope,” I speak up when Daichi finishes.

Kiyoko adds, “You can do it.” Those few words from her have all the boys fired up, far more than my own did. Or so I thought.

“Winnie,” Daichi asks while the others start warming up, “What sport did you play?”

“I didn’t, but I used to fight. A lot.”

“Against people others said you couldn’t beat.”

“Against guys even bigger and stronger than Aone and Asahi. And I would win.”

“How?”

“Like I said, find their weakness, attack it, and don’t stop until they fall. When they try to compensate for one weakness, a new one will inevitably open up. Attack that one. Eventually, they cannot cover the weakness you are exploiting and they fall.”

“When you were watching Seijoh, what weaknesses did you see?”

“I don’t know a lot about volleyball, but I can tell you which players on their team had the weakest character.” We talk for another few minutes about Seijoh’s players. Aoba Josai isn’t weak. None of their players are, but some of them are newer, fresher, and less sturdy than the others. 

“Suga mentioned you don’t particularly like Oikawa. Why?”

“He just seems dangerous to me. He has this look in his eye that unsettles me. I don’t really know how to explain it, but he reminds me of someone I used to know, and they were definitely not a good person.” I raise a hand before Daichi can ask the question I know is coming. “That doesn’t mean I think Oikawa is a bad person or will go off the deep end. I just think he is willing to do whatever it takes to get what he wants and I’m concerned that sometimes, he might not know where to stop.”

“I don’t really know much about him, so I’ll trust your judgment for the time being. He wasn’t exactly kind during our practice match. I’d go so far as to say he was downright rude.”

“I’ve heard.”

“He doesn’t like Kageyama.”

“I know.”

“I don’t know the full story there, but Kageyama doesn’t let Oikawa get close to him, he just lets his words get to him.”

“Yeah, he definitely tried to keep the net between them at all times.” And believe me, I’ll be asking Kageyama about that. No way does that not mean that Oikawa hadn’t at least slapped him once. And no, I’m not telling the team about the confrontation. I don’t feel like explaining myself.

Daichi gets back to practice and Kiyoko and I set about filling the water bottles. We’ve just finished with the first round when Ukai walks in. Yeah, there was no way both practices were going to be canceled today.


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, I'm terrible.  
> Sorry for disappearing like that. I literally don't have an excuse other than school, but even that doesn't really matter since I've technically already written all of this...  
> Anyway, I'll get back into my schedule, starting with another update on Friday.  
> This chapter is the lead-up to her date with Ushijima! I hope you enjoy it!

“So, you beat Seijoh.”

“Yes. They are weak. Except for Oikawa-san.”

“I would have to say that Iwaizumi-san does not strike me as weak, either.”

“But he is not nearly as strong as Oikawa-san.”

“Is it that he is not strong at all, or not strong in the same way Oikawa-san is?”

“He is just a pawn, a club for Oikawa to use.”

“There is a certain strength in allowing yourself to be someone else’s pawn.”

“To some extent.”

“Besides, would Oikawa-san use a pawn that isn’t strong enough to do its job? Just because they are not strong enough to defeat the strongest in the prefecture, does not mean they are not strong.”

“What do you mean?”

“Someone who can throw a man five feet would be considered strong, yes? Well, if someone came in and said he is weak, and claimed to prove it by throwing the same man eight feet, is he right? Is that first man actually weak, or is there just a power that he is not able to compete with?”

“I suppose.”

“What I mean is, Karasuno is strong, but Seijoh is stronger. Seijoh is strong, but you are stronger. Out there, is there not someone who is capable of beating your team? Are you not the third best ace in the country, meaning there are two capable of beating you? That doesn’t make you weak. It just means you have more strength to strive to obtain.”

“You are quite wise.” I snort. Yeah, well, I learned stuff that from my therapist. It’s not like I made it up.

“Someone else told me something similar once. It just so happens to apply here.” He hums in acknowledgment and we fall into a quiet rhythm. 

“You run with him!” I hear a shriek a short time later. Just across the street is Oikawa.

Kill me now, please.

“Ah, hey, so, he seriously creeps me out. Can we switch sides and keep running?”

“Of course.” His voice is rough and I see him look at Oikawa with a bit of disdain. At least, I think that’s the face he’s making. We switch sides and Oikawa keeps shouting after us.

“Hang on! Seriously! Why are you running with him? Hey! Karasuno-san! Hey!” He’s jogging down the other side of the road. Why is he even all the way out here? It makes zero sense.

I plant my feet suddenly, turn, and face him.

“If you’re so jealous that I get to run with Ushijima, then you should’ve gone to Shiratorizawa.” He misses a step and hits a crack in the ground, falling quite epically with flailing arms and an indignant shout.

Ushijima lets out a laugh, deep and happy sounding. I take it there’s an inside joke I’m missing there, but before Oikawa can get back up to start yelling at us again, I get back to running. Ushijima catches up once he’s stopped laughing.

“I’ve been telling him for three years he should have gone to Shiratorizawa.”

“Well, that explains his wonderful reaction.” I’m quite proud of the way I got him to fall. “I wish I’d had my phone. I could’ve gotten a picture of that.”

“If I’d had mine, I could have evidence of someone else saying that to him.”

“Just remember, I’m an eyewitness account. If you ever need proof, just hit me up.”

“Hit you up?”

“Ah, American saying. It means just ask.”

“I’ll remember that.” He pauses for a beat. “As tomorrow is Sunday, would you like to get coffee?”

“Sure.” Sunday is the day we don’t run together. “Same time as we usually run?”

“Yes. I can meet you out there if you like.”

“I don’t mind walking, but if you’d rather go someone over here…”

“No, I was going to pick you up to walk back together.” To be fair, the walk over really isn’t terribly far, but still. 

“How about you walk me back after?” Fair compromise, I think. I don’t feel guilty making him walk all the way out there for me and he doesn’t feel bad not at least walking me home. Especially since it will be dark out.

“That will work.”

“Great,” I smile up at him, turning and stopping. “Then, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Yes. Have a good night.”

“You, too.” I jog away, turning back to my apartment. Hey, is that a date? Oh, crap. I think I need someone else’s opinion.

As soon as I get inside, I grab my phone and text Kiyoko.

**Me:** _Ok. I think I’m going on a date tomorrow, but I’m not entirely positive. Help!_

 **Kiyoko:** _We’re going to do a group phone call with me, Suga, and Daichi._

 **Me:** _Perfect._

 **Kiyoko:** _I’ll call you in a minute._

While I wait for my phone to ring, I grab a water bottle, kick off my shoes, and settle onto the couch, picking at the fabric.

_ Buzz. Buzz-buzz. _

“Hey, guys, thanks for the help.”

“It’s no problem,” Suga answers.

“That’s what we’re here for,” Daichi agrees.

“Okay, so explain it all to us,” Kiyoko orders. “From the beginning.”

“About a week after I got here, I started running again. My path takes me out by Shiratorizawa.” I hear sharp inhales from the other end of the line and roll my eyes. “So, ah, Ushijima is able to keep up with me and we run at the same time every day, so we kind of ended up just running together. Which meant we would talk a little here and there. And so he asked me to get coffee with him tomorrow, since neither of us runs on Sunday.”

“He asked you out?!” Suga cries.

“That’s what I’m trying to figure out. He said we should get coffee sometime a week or so ago, but waited until today to mention it again. So we’re going at the same time that we usually go running and he offered to pick me up, but it’s too far to expect him to do that, and then walk all the way back for the coffee place he picked out. So I’m meeting him there and he’s going to walk me home instead.”

“Winnie,” Daichi said, like he’s about to break bad news to me. “That’s a date.”

“So, what are you going to wear?” Kiyoko asks.

“My favorite jeans, a t-shirt, and a flannel. That’s what I always wear.”

“No,” Suga denies, “You will not.”

“Come again?”

“We’ll help you pick an outfit. Meet us at Karasuno tomorrow at two.”

“I’m assuming there’s no way to get out of this.”

“Nope.” I can almost hear the smile in his voice. He might be the nicer of the two, but he’s also the more devious.

“Fiiiine. I’ll see you tomorrow at two. Just be warned, though, I don’t have much more than what I already described.” I hear a sigh through the line.

“What size are you?”

“I don’t know what size I am in Japanese sizing.”

“Check your uniform.” I relay the sizing. “Kiyoko, is that your size?”

“It is.”

“Bring some date appropriate stuff with you. A couple options. Something will look good on her.”

“She does have a flattering figure,” Daichi agrees.

“Seriously, guys?” What the hell?

“Don’t worry about it. Suga and I are dating. No interest in girls.”

“Well, they do say that the gays tend to band together.” The three of them laugh almost hysterically.

“I guess that’s true. But you’re not?”

“No.” Okay, I’ve had enough humans for the day. If I’ve got to put up with them on my free day, I need my freedom now.

“Okay, I’m gone. I’ll see you tomorrow at two at the school gates.” We all agree and hang up. 

**Kiyoko:** _Don’t do your hair. Sleep with it down. I’ll do it once you’re dressed tomorrow. And don’t worry about the outfits. If you usually wear a flannel, I’ll make sure you still can. We’re just going to put you in a skirt, too._

I sigh, put my phone off to the side, and get ready for bed, not bothering to respond. I hope I actually manage to sleep tonight.


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was totally convinced it was Thursday, so technically I'm posting this on Saturday, but only by, like, a half hour.  
> I'm only now realizing just how short some of my chapters are, but I think my next one is a bit longer, so it's more that I'm inconsistent. And trying to cut them off somewhere that feels natural. Which is going to be so difficult for the chapter I'm currently writing at the moment, but that's not for a while, so I'll work it out.  
> I'll cut myself off before I start rambling.  
> Enjoy!

“Okay, let’s get started. I think you’ll look best in blues or purples,” Suga tilts his head, “You have green eyes, after all.” Oh, man, does he actually understand fashion?

“Suga has a couple older sisters. They made him help with their date outfits, so he learned all this. Plus, he likes to help people, so he memorized it.” Daichi explains.

“Kiyoko promised I could wear a flannel.” I cross my arms and glare at him. “I refuse anything but a flannel.”

“Fine. You can wear a flannel. Show me what ones you have.”

I struggle not to start laughing.

“What’s so funny?”

“Oh, man, you have no clue just how many I own. It’s like a family tradition. All my brothers wear are flannels. I caught the bug, too. Actually, it might be genetic.”

“Why does that make me very concerned?” Suga asks. I snicker. 

“Come here.” I show him to my room and open the closet. He chokes. I smile wider and open a drawer in my dresser, were there are more flannels.

“The ones in the drawer are thicker and I’m saving them for winter, hence why they’re folded. The hanging ones are made of a lighter material, so they’re comfortable in the summer.” I close the drawer again so he knows not to pick one of them.

Kiyoko slips up behind me.

“You really do like flannel.” I shrug. “Hey, you can call me Shimizu. You’re the only one who still calls me Kiyoko out of the third years.”

“Oh, really? Thank you.” I grin widely. That’s a good way for me to forget that Suga is picking my outfit.

“Daichi, hand me that lavender skirt.” Wonderful, a light color. “I want that light blue flannel with the teal and white accents. Where are your t-shirts?”

“Ah, you’re looking at them.”

“They’re all black, white, and grey!” I groan and beat my head against the wall lightly.

“Sue me! When I had to go on the run, I quit caring about fitting in, so I just bought what was comfy and got rid of all the cliche skirts and blouses. This is what I kept!” The room freezes and eyes turn on me. “What?”

“On the run?” Daichi asks. Wait, did I say that? Shit. I really didn’t mean to.

“Don’t ask,” I reply, eyes hard. “I didn’t mean to mention it. Just pretend I never did.”

“You know, eventually, you’ll tell us more about you,” he says firmly.

“That day is not today.” Kiyoko sets a hand on my shoulder, backing me up.

“Let’s remember why we’re here. She needs an outfit.”

“There should be some colored tank tops in the drawer above the flannels. Maybe you’ll like one of those?”

He grabs a couple, “Okay, I know I like the skirt and flannel together, so we’ll just have to pick the color tank through guess and check. I think dark blue, dark purple, or white will be the best options. Maybe pink, but I don’t want you to look like a rainbow threw up, so maybe not.” He flips through a bit more. “Hey, this lavender matches the skirt perfectly! If I don’t like any of the first colors, we’ll go with this. Then it’ll look like a dress. It even has thick straps, so you can take the flannel off if you get too hot.”

“I won’t.”

“What?”

“I won’t take the flannel off. That’s non-negotiable. My arms stay covered.” There it is again; that look that says they want to ask. I ignore it. “Put the stuff on the bed. I’ll try it on and come out.”

Kiyoko leans against the wall, “Can I stay?” Of course, since we change in the same room, she knows which scars I’m talking about. No one else has noticed during PE, but we change next to each other twice a day, every day, so it’s impossible for her to not have.

“That’s fine.”

“You can’t wear a sports bra with that outfit.” I pinch the bridge of my nose at her comment.

“I’m not wearing one.”

“Good. It’s a date. At least act like you want to look nice, okay? It’ll make Suga happy and Daichi will lessen up on the running tomorrow.”

“Seriously? Suga’s moods determine how harsh Daichi is?”

“They’ve been dating two years now. They’ve got it bad.” Can I say it now? I’m going to.

_ Called it! _

I grab the dark blue tank first and shrug into the flannel, letting her lead me out to Suga.

“No.”

“Well, tough audience today,” I mutter, turning back before I’ve even made it all the way into the main room. Next is the purple.

“Perfect!” Oh, thank goodness. Even having to change once was too much for me.

“Alright, now show me your shoes.”

“Come on,” I sigh. Why am I even doing this? Why did I even let them into my apartment? Ahhhhhh. Save me, someone.

“What time do you have to leave?”

“Well, I’m walking, so probably a forty five minutes early? Maybe?”

“Okay, but you haven’t actually told us what time you run at.”

“Oh, we meet up at about seven.”

“So you need to leave by six.”

“Yes.”

“Well, it’s about three right now, so you have enough time to shower, let Shimizu do your hair, and then do your make-up.”

“About make-up…”

“Oh, my God, please tell me you at least own eyeshadow and blush.”

“I have foundation, lip gloss, and mascara.”

“Guess it’s a good thing I grabbed some of my sister’s stuff. I figured you were a lost cause when you mentioned what you wanted to wear.”

“I can’t decide if I love or hate you right now.”

“Love. Now, shower.”

“And don’t forget to shave,” Kiyoko adds.

“Traitor,” I hiss.


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apparently, I was in a mildly sassy mood when I wrote this... and a sappy one, too. So, that's how Winnie seems in this.  
> I might be a bit spotty for a while. I promise it's not intentional, but some big changes are happening for me. Namely, I'm leaving my college and going back home because of my mental health. It's something that's been a long time coming and I finally worked up the courage to speak to my parents about it. So, sometime in the next three weeks, I'll be going back home and starting treatment. I don't know how that will affect me or if I'll remember to post on here. I just wanted to give a warning. I'll try my best to remember as much as possible, though!  
> Hope you're all doing well! Please, enjoy!

Shiratorizawa is in sight and I can see Ushijima standing at the gate, leaning back like he’s trying to act casual, but his eyes keep flickering towards my direction and back towards the gate. When he’s looking at the gate, it seems like he’s glaring. Then, he waves his hand at it. There must be someone hiding there to try to see me.

Suga assured me before I left that I look like a knockout. Honestly, my appearance is pretty low on my list of priorities. Like I accidentally let slip, before I went on the run, I cared about fitting in since I was in and out of the hospital. I wanted to have friends outside of the hospital. But then I had to hide and I got my priorities straight. Having my family safe is what matters, not what outsiders think of me. So I stopped trying to fit in with them and wore what I liked, which happened to be what my brothers wore, since it’s comfy.

Kiyoko French braided my hair into a bun on top of my head. I’ve got glitter on my eyelids and lips with a little blush on my cheeks. Nothing obtrusive. I did have to fight with Suga to be allowed to wear my boots, though. He was going to make me wear my school shoes since they’re “more ladylike.” Right. Because my personality is so ladylike. Dummy. Daichi finally convinced him it wasn’t worth it to fight with me, and pointed out that I had to walk pretty far. So I’m wearing a pair of black combat boots with this outfit. Suga said that was only okay because I’m wearing a dark tank top. He wouldn’t let me wear my steel toes, though, saying they definitely didn’t match.

“Hello.”

“Hi,” I say with a small smile.

“You look nice.”

“I got mauled by the other third years. I don’t think I even own a skirt other than the uniform. But thanks.” He laughs.

“You didn’t seem like the girl who would wear a skirt.” As he finishes his sentence, a mob of kids pops out from behind the gate, lead by a lanky kid with spiked up red hair.

“You’re who he’s been running with!”

“I am.”

“And you’re going on a date with him!”

“Well, I didn’t walk all the way here to not get coffee with him, so…”

“How are you a girl if you don’t own skirts?” Hello, gender roles.

“I have boobs.” I can see Ushijima starting to turn red from trying not to laugh at my monotone responses.

“Oh.”

“Is that all? Because I’m pretty sure this was a date for two, not ten.”

“You sound exactly like him, but more sarcastic.”

“I get my sarcasm from my cat.”

“You own a cat?” The redhead seems excited.

“No.”

“Okay, we’re leaving now. Do not follow,” Ushijima intervenes, waving the redhead off. “And that includes you, Tendou.” With some whining, they stay behind.

“It’s this way,” Ushijima murmurs, resting a hand lightly on my middle back to guide me around the psychos. “Why did your friends mob you?”

“They said the outfit I was going to wear was a crime.”

“What was it?”

“Basically this, but jeans instead of a skirt. And my steel toe boots.” He looks down at me, shock written on his face. I shrug. “They’re my favorite shoes. Plus, you can kick the crap outta people with ‘em.” He cracks a smile at that.

“I suppose that is true. Tendou was right. You’re not very girly.”

“So?”

“I never said it was bad.” True. He said it with almost no inflection at all. Just like someone would comment that a cat was black. “I don’t think I would get along with someone who is too girly. You handled him well.”

“I guess. He reminds me of my brother’s boyfriend.” Gabe is such a handful, honestly. “Very up in people’s business and very opinionated.”

“He is, but he’s also very accepting of others. He’s not closed minded and will change his opinion if proven that the other side is better. He used to be bullied, so he would never make fun of someone for being different.”

“So he was testing me.”

“Essentially. Testing your personality, moreso. And, he was probably genuinely curious about the skirt thing.” I notice then that he hasn’t moved his hand yet. I won’t say I blushed, but I was definitely a little flattered by that. He actually wants to go on this date. “This is it.” He opens a door and a little bell rings.

“Welcome,” the cashier says. “Hello, Ushijima-san. Are you having your usual?”

“Please. And whatever Winnie-san would like, as well.” The boy’s eyes glint knowingly and he smiles at me.

“Hello, Winnie-san. Please, take your time.” I nod with a smile and skim my eyes over the menu.

“What did you get?”

“An iced coffee with cream and sugar and a croissant.” I tilt my head. Usually, I have black coffee at home since that’s what my brothers keep on hand. But, I do like caramel.

“How is the caramel coffee?”

“I like it. It goes really well with the cinnamon muffin.”

“I’ll have that, then.” He nods and steps up to order for me and pay. I feel like now is a prudent time to mention that this might actually be my first date ever…

“I’ll bring that out to you in a minute,” the boy says, smirking at the two of us.

“You like caramel?”

“It’s my candy of choice. Especially salted.”

“Not chocolates?”

“I don’t eat chocolate.” My voice is way too harsh. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to say it like that. I just don’t ever eat plain chocolate. Stuff that’s chocolate dipped is fine, but pure chocolate bars I just cannot stomach.”

“Bad experience?”

“It was the only thing I ate for a while. One or more of the bars may have been drugged. I’ll never eat it again.” I think that’s enough detail there. No need to know what happened after that.

“That must have been terrifying.”

“I’m better now,” I say with a little, self-deprecating smirk, refusing to give him a solid timeline of how long it took me to get over that. “I just cannot handle chocolate.”

“I’ll remember that.” No doubt, he will.

“What’s your favorite?” Our items are set in front of us and we take our time eating while we talk. Just normal date questions, nothing too deep. Definitely nothing as deep as what I had said.

“Sorry for starting with such a heavy topic.”

“No, it is good that I know that. Otherwise, I might have gotten you chocolates next time and you wouldn’t have been able to eat them.”

“It’s the thought that counts.”

“I still would have felt bad.”

“Then, I take back my apology.” We smile slightly at each other. There’s whispering over at the gate to his school as we pass by.

“Did you see? They smiled!”

“Ushijima smiled?”

“Hey, let me see!”

“Shut up!”

“Do you think it’s going well?”

“Go away!” Ushijima hollers, shutting them up. I chuckle under my breath.

“What would we do without our idiots?”

“Live a peaceful life?”


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey!  
> So, quick update: I am moving back home and for the next few weeks, I should have tons of free time. I'll be able to write as much as I want for a bit, so I'm hoping to get even further ahead in my writing of this fic and a BoKuroIwaOi fic I'm working on. My posting should be fairly regular, as well.  
> Sorry about it, but this chapter is relatively short and mostly dialogue.  
> Hope you like it anyway!

I walk into the gym the next morning and, quite literally, the entire team is already there.

“You had a date!” Tanaka shouts, setting off the flurry of questions.

“You all do realize this is volleyball practice, right? Not a gossip group.”

Ukai speaks up, “Yeah, but we can spare ten minutes. Besides, I’m curious. I always got the impression you’d knock the teeth out of anyone who asked you out.”

“Well, you’re not wrong. I’ve done that before. But, I don’t hate him, so I figured, why not?”

“Who is it? Is it someone we know?”

“You might know him, but I’d like this to be mine right now, so you’re not getting any details from me. Besides, who knows if it will go anywhere? It was a first date.” My eyes flash to Kiyoko. “Oh, and Shimizu, I have your skirt.”

“What did he say about your outfit?”

“He said I looked nice. Ask me one more question. That’s all you get. And no open-ended ones, like, what was the date like? One I can answer in less than twenty words, got it?”

“Who was it?” I sigh at Tanaka’s question.

“Didn’t I say I didn’t want to answer that?”  
“A promise is a promise.”

“Ushijima Wakatoshi. We met while out running. That’s all the information you’re getting out of me.” I grab the water bottles that need to be filled and leave, Kiyoko on my heels.

“Was that really all he said about your outfit?”

“Yeah. But he never says more than he has to and is always sincere. One of his friends- who were hiding behind the gate when I arrived- said I’m like a version of him that knows sarcasm.”

“How did you respond?”

“That I got it from my cat. And no, I don’t have a cat.”

“Who did you get it from, then?”

“My own personal nihilism.”

“Oh.” She pauses, putting a lid on one of the bottles. “I made the flyers to pass out.”

“Do you want me to help you?”

“It’s alright. I can do it. It would mean being in the hall for a long period of time.”

“Thanks.”

The rest of practice passes quickly, wrapped up with an announcement about a trip to Tokyo, which seems exciting, but then I’m stuck in a room with Suga and Daichi all day with no escape, and believe you me, they got every detail of that date out of me by the end of the day. There was a ton of excitement on their part. I felt like they were pulling my teeth all day. Kiyoko rescues me as soon as classes end, though.

“Winnie, this is Yachi Hitoka, a first year interested in being the next manager. Yachi, this is Winnie, the other manager.”

“Hi,” I smile, “It’s good to meet you.” Her eyes are wide and she bows deep and quickly.

“It’s good to meet you, too.”

“Oh, you don’t have to bow. Just relax. They’ll like you and they’re all really nice.” I tap her on the shoulder lightly to tell her to follow us. “Come along, then. Let’s go introduce you.” We walk in relative silence the entire way, Kiyoko and I entirely relaxed, but Yachi is definitely terrified.

“Hey, there’s no reason to be scared. They’re big and loud, but they’re also very kind. Oh, and don’t mind Asahi. He looks scary, but he’s the sweetest of them all.”

“Asahi?”

“You’ll know him when you see him,” I chuckle.

“Wait here a moment. We’ve got to gather them all.”

“O-okay.”

Yachi is as much a nervous wreck as Asahi is, but she manages to get through it without fainting, which seems like a bonus. She scampers off as soon as Kiyoko tells her she’s free. For a moment, I doubt we’ll see her again, but then she glances back at Kiyoko and blushes a little. Oh, my. Oh, my. Do I smell yet another romance on this team? I think I do!

“So, what do you think of Yachi?” I ask Kiyoko as we’re changing back to our uniforms after practice.

“She’s a sweet girl. She’ll be good for the team when she finds her voice.” Kiyoko sounds like she wants to say more, but she stops there.

“And?”

“And… and she’s cute.” I grin wickedly.

“I knew it.” I lean towards her. “Wanna know a secret?”

“What?”

“She looked back at you and blushed.”


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, all!  
> So, I've officially moved home and I don't even want to think of the amount of time my bff and I spent standing next to my car, hugging and crying. I mean, the biggest thing here is that my best friend hates hugs and willingly hugged me- actually asked me to hug her. And she hugged me back. And I almost died from happiness and sadness at the same time and I love her so much and now we live four hours apart and this is literally killing the both of us and it hasn't even been 24 hours.   
> Alright, moving on before I start crying.  
> Here, we have the exam section. I'm not terribly pleased with how I wrote it, but I can't figure out how to change it, so it's staying as is.  
> Hope you like it!

“I’ve never gotten double digits on a quiz. Will I really be okay?” Hinata looks up at Suga with such innocence, but Suga can’t even respond. Then, someone yells at Tanaka and Noya not to make that face and chaos breaks out in the gym. They’re taking turns shaking Kageyama to try to get him to respond, Hinata is sprinting around in a panic, Tsukishima is making sarcastic comments about everyone, and Tanaka and Noya are trying to escape the gym.

Even Takeda is laid up, muttering under his breath, “They can do it if they try,” on a loop. I think I can even see his soul seeping out from his mouth. I sigh. Do they not realize there is a (somewhat) easy solution to this?

I clap my hands, gathering everyone’s attention.

“Okay, since we need everyone at the training camp, study sessions for you four are now mandatory. My apartment, every evening after practice. How you study on the weekends is not my problem. At lunch, find someone in your own grade to help you make sure you have the right, detailed notes. They need to be legible, too. Anyone else who wants extra study time is welcome to join.” This seems to settle everyone a bit, so I slip over to talk to Ennoshita.

“I know nothing about Japanese history. Would you help me teach them?”

“Of course! It’s in the best interest of the team.”

“When does studying start?” Hinata yells across the room.

“Tonight. We’ll walk together after practice.” I have a quick conversation with Ukai and then get back to work.

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is the story of how I ended up with an entire volleyball team in my apartment. I know I said anyone who wanted to come, could, but I didn’t expect them all to. Even Tsukishima is here, although I’m not sure if that’s to study or for the entertainment value. Heck, Kiyoko is here, sipping tea, on my couch. What in the world?

“Okay, ground rules. There’s only a few. One: stay awake and take notes during class. Two: have a friend who can help you at lunch. Third years and each other are off limits. Three: you will be here every day after practice to get extra help. And finally, four: failure to follow these rules will result in studying with me during the practice games at the end of practice.”

“WHAT?” They shriek.

“Please don’t bother the neighbors. And I already checked with Ukai. He agreed.” There’s a massive amount of grumbling, but the four idiots agree. After all, they’re the only ones forced to follow those rules. I turn to Ennoshita.

“How do you want to break this down?” He asks.

“I’m best in English and literature. I’m not terrible at math, so I can take those subjects. Can you take care of social studies and science?”

“Yep. I’ll also help with math where I can.”

“Perfect. I’ll start with Hinata and Kageyama and we can switch in, say, forty-five minutes?”

Before I start helping with English, I slip out my phone and fire off a text.

**Me:** _I’m not going to be able to run at our usual time tonight. My apartment is full of volleydorks._

 **Ushijima:** _See you tomorrow, then?_

 **Me:** _Would we be able to move our running time back an hour? It is getting lighter out._

 **Ushijima:** _I don’t mind. Why?_

 **Me:** _Four of the idiots are at risk of needing supplementary classes. We’re trying to save them._

**Time jump: One Month Later**

“Alright, lay it on me.” Hinata and Kageyama both have their heads hanging. 

“I failed modern lit. By two points!”

“I failed English.” Hinata hands me his exam, not bothering to verbalize his excuses, 

instead letting me see that he got the answers right, but filled in the sheet off by one. 

“Okay, Kageyama, let me see yours.” He failed because it was comprehension heavy instead of memorization heavy as we had all anticipated. He simply focused his studying on the wrong topic. Both failures have got to bite, bad.

“How do supplementary classes work? We don’t have those back home.”

“Well,” Tanaka pops up next to them, “they take place on the weekends and basically are to try to get everyone to pass. But since they only failed one, they’ll be able to take the exam in the morning and be out by noon if they don’t fail again.”

“Okay, well, we can study together another few nights, then we won’t have to worry about you passing.”

“But that still doesn’t get us to Tokyo,” Kageyama points out.

“We can bike.”

“No. That’s not happening.”

“I can get them there!” Tanaka says. “Maybe.”

“Let me see if I can help out. If I can’t,” I turn to Tanaka, “then we’ll be counting on you. I’ll let you know tomorrow. I just have to double check a few things.”

“Like what?”

“Like whether or not I can get new license plates quickly. Mine are still American.” Yeah, how do I explain that my car is technically still in America?

“You have a car here?”

“Yeah. Would you tell Ukai that I’m going to miss practice today? Sorry, thanks!” I run before they have the chance to say no and am home way too quickly.

“Dean!” I practically yell when he picks up the phone. “Does Sugar meet Japanese car standards?”

“Ah, yes, I believe so.”

“Perfect. Can Cas bring her here? I’m so glad I have a garage now.”

“I thought you didn’t need a car.” Gotta love how he doesn’t even mention legality.

“Changed my mind. Please!”

“Shouldn’t be a problem.” The conversation devolves from there, but eventually, I escape and make one more call.

“Hey, Charlie, can I have some help?” Charlie is a close family friend, someone my brothers consider family. I’d have to agree.

“Yeah, girl, what do you need?”

“I need to make it look like I imported my car to Japan legally.”

“Okay, then, get me the papers and I’ll help you push it through.”

“Thanks!” In two hours, Sugar is not-so-legally registered in Japan, fitted out with fake insurance information and everything. I’ve even got a company printing new license plates for her as we speak. I’ll be able to pick them up next Wednesday, at the latest. This Friday, at the earliest. I’m hoping for Friday so I can drive on the weekend and get used to the new roads and rules.

I should mention that I did actually research Japanese rules of the road before this, so I won’t be a danger to everyone.


	22. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for going missing. I meant to get this up on Monday since I didn't have time over the holiday, but totally spaced. We got about a foot of snow overnight and all got snowed into the house. It's been great. I totally haven't been arguing non-stop with my parents and brother at all because we all have nasty tempers in enclosed spaces........  
> I'm feeling just a little stabby.  
> So, here's chapter 22. It feels just a touch forced at a few spots, in my opinion, but I couldn't come up with a way to fix that, so here goes.  
> Hope you like it!

“Alright, just send me a text when you’re done with the test and know if you passed. I’ll pick you up and we’ll be on our way. Got it?”

“Hai!” They shout in unison. Everyone else is already on the way to Tokyo. Thankfully, I have some experience with, ah, driving way too fast. Put it this way, we won’t be taking the expressways into Tokyo, since those will actually be slower when I’m the one driving. We need the backroads with no stoplights and, last weekend, I scouted out a path with my brothers. We’ll be there in about three hours rather than four, or faster, if I have absolutely no reason to slow down.

Their class starts at seven and, if they pass on the first try, ends at eight. We’ll be there by eleven. Their bags are already in the car, so as soon as they text, we’re gone. I walk back to my apartment to make us some snacks for the trip.

The team left at about six, so we’re only a bit behind them. They’ll arrive at maybe ten, so really, we’re only a little behind. We’ll be there in time for lunch.

**Hinata:** _ We passed! _

I’ve been parked outside for about twenty minutes now and my guess was right. We’re leaving just five after eight.

**Me:** _I’m already here. Let’s move._

“Winnie!” Hinata screams as they barrel out of the building and to the car. Their eyes go wide.

“Yes, I know, my car is cool. Now get in. If you puke, you clean it.”

“What do you mean?”

“We’ll be driving really fast on some side roads. I’m a pretty smooth driver, though, so it should be okay.” They pile into the cherry red with red interior ‘66 Pontiac GTO that is my one and only love. I had to touch up the motor so it wouldn’t make any sound while we drive. Can’t have someone noticing this red blur. Once we’re out of the residential area and onto the open road, I give them one last warning, “Stay buckled. I’m going to go fast. Everyone ready?” At their nods, Hinata’s looking suspiciously nervous, I press down on the gas, kicking the car up to eighty. It’s 227 miles to the heart of Tokyo. We’re going to the suburbs, though, so it’s only about 211. If I maintain eighty (only about twenty over the expressway speed limit) the entire way there, it’ll take almost exactly two and a half hours.

Magically, Hinata managed not to puke on the ride. When we pull into the lot, Karasuno is still unpacking the bus. Takeda’s eyes narrow on me. Shit. Guess they did arrive a bit after ten… probably less than twenty minutes before us, to be honest.

“Winnie-san!” He barks at me.

“Hey, didn’t you say they had supplementary classes?” That’s… Kuroo? I think? He’s talking to Daichi, anyway.

“They did.”

“Did they even take the classes?”  
“We did! And we passed!” Hinata is jumping up and down, which I really didn’t expect, given his penchant for puking. Kageyama agrees with Hinata, looking rather pleased with himself.

“Are we good now?” 

“No! We’re worse off! You endangered them!”

“I didn’t go much faster than I would on an expressway at home. Actually, I frequently go that speed back home.” Takeda gestures for me to follow him, wanting to speak in private, but he doesn’t pause in his tirade. I guess he’s a little... worked up.

“That’s not the issue! What about surrounding traffic?”

“We didn’t take the expressway. I picked out some nice, deserted back roads and used those. No stop signs, no stop lights. Heck, there were only a couple yield signs.” 

“That doesn’t help anything! That just means you were going that much faster over the speed limit!”

“Look, I’m sorry, I just wanted to make sure they got here without missing too much playing time.”

“I get that, but that doesn’t give you a reason to drive recklessly.”

“Takeda-sensei, I’m from corn country. There are areas without posted speed limits there. To me, my speed was nothing. In fact, I never imagined you might be upset about it since it was such a little deal to me.” He throws his hands up and, unintentionally, I flinch back. Not much, but enough. The nosy brats peeking around the corner notice and a collective breath is held. Takeda’s eyes go wide and he clutches his hands in front of him.

“Sorry,” I mutter.

“Just help us unpack. If you didn’t realize it was wrong, it can’t be helped and yelling won’t fix it. Just never do that again.” Got it. Save going that quick for emergencies.

“Alright.” We break apart awkwardly.

“Hey, are you okay?” Suga asks as I pick up a bag.

“Yeah. Just the argument mixed with the quick movement hit me kind of hard. I didn’t mean to flinch.” 

“Okay. Just remember we’re here for you.”

“I know, thanks.” We smile at each other, his a bit too sad for my tastes, and carry the rest of the stuff inside, deciding to ignore what had just happened.


	23. Chapter 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't have an excuse for this being wildly late aside from the fact that I got a job. I now work in a preschool as a teacher's aide for children with special needs. Honestly, they're the cutest little things I've ever seen.  
> I've also been struggling to keep writing this fic because stupid me decided I needed to write a future scene that was stuck in my head and now I've got to connect the two parts and I CAN'T. It's killing me, but, well, I'll figure it out.  
> I had a little bit of fun with this chapter, but it's mostly just her making friends and giving advice. I guess it'll be important later.  
> Enjoy!

“Hey, Kuroo, where’s the weird duo?” Some weirdo with spiky hair asks. He seriously looks like an owl and it seems like his hair has been dyed and styled to emphasize that.

“They’re the red head number ten and the kid yelling at him,” Kuroo points them out, then turns to me. “But I thought they had supplementary exams.”

“I already got yelled at for that, so let’s not talk about it.”

“Why’d you get yelled at?”

“I may have broken the speed limits just a teensey bit.” I hold my fingers up, really close together, and smile sheepishly. 

“Well, anyway, they should’ve just studied and passed them all. Then, there wouldn’t have been any problems.”

“Bokuto, you failed mathematics.” Okay, this kid is gorgeous. And obviously an amazing person. That little razz there was wonderful.

“Akaashi, you promised not to talk about it!” 

“Okay, then, I’m going over there.” I hurry away while they start bickering, finding out from Takeda where the kitchen is and going to help them set up for lunch. Late that night, we’re settling into bed. I’ve gotten used to being surrounded by the teams today, so having just the managers in the little room is a bit lonely. Strange how I can crave being around people but still be too scared to be in the same room as them.

The next day is when the problems begin. Hinata and Kageyama have this epic falling out. I hate taking sides, but I refuse to tell Hinata that there’s anything he cannot do.

He comes running up to me after a game, rage scrawled across his face. I’m sitting away from the teams, cleaning some of the balls so there’ll be less to do after practice. When he sits down next to me, I hand him a towel and a ball.

“Talk to me while you work.”

“Kageyama won’t let me try something new.”

“What do you want to try?”

“I want to do the freak quick with my eyes open.”

“And why did they say no?”

“They don’t want to change something that works.”

“What else happened?” He gives me a strange look. “You’re more than just mad. Something else is bothering you.”

“I messed up. Jumped when I shouldn’t’ve. Tried to take Asahi-san’s ball.”

“You just wanted to spike it. You weren’t paying attention. Is that right?” He nods. “Hinata, don’t let it get to you. That jump… It was because you were focusing too hard on wanting to change. Reset your mind and get settled back into the way you were playing before. Stop worrying about wanting to change.”

“You agree with them! But-”

“Hinata, I didn’t say you shouldn’t change. But is the middle of training camp, during the practice games, really the time to be drilling a new technique that has no guarantee will ever work?” He looks down, rather dejected. “I will never, ever tell you something is impossible. I’ve learned that there is very little that is impossible. But, there is also a time and a place for everything. Figure out what needs to change and how while you’re here. When we get back to Karasuno, then you can change it.”

“Oh,” he brightens, albeit he still seems a bit upset. “That makes sense! I’m still mad at Kageyama for not wanting to try and Suga for telling me it’s impossible.”

“Want to know a little bit about me?” He looks over, excited. “Keep cleaning and I’ll tell you a story.” His towel goes back to scrubbing, rather furiously. His exuberance makes me chuckle before I start talking.

“When my mom got pregnant with me, my dad was just a one night stand. They never saw each other ever again. She hated me, by the way, but refused to get rid of me because the doctors thought I was sick. Reality was, I was just a little, neglected child who wanted her mom’s love and attention. The sickness meant I got a prescription, which I never actually took. My mom did the drugs instead, to get high. I don’t know how well it worked, but she did. During that time, I had no friends, was registered as homeschooled, and was consistently ignored at home. When I was nine, my mom died and it took them a year to find my dad. When they finally did, he abandoned me again, on the side of the road. It was several days before I was found and by that point, I was pretty messed up. That’s a different story, though.” I glance over, pausing in my own work for a moment to see him staring at me with rapt attention. “There’s a point to all this, I’m getting there. After I was found, I bounced between hospitals, group homes, and foster homes. The entire time, all I wanted was a family. Friends. People who cared, actually cared, about me. The doctors were nice, the kids in the hospital were friendly, but no one bothered to really be friends because we’d never see each other again. In the group and foster homes, we all just wanted out, so we didn’t really get close. We wanted to be on our own. So most of us had the same wish: that we’d be loved enough by some family to be adopted. And just when I was ready to throw in the towel, a woman named Joanie took me in and I would be sent to her whenever I was out of the hospital. But then, she died, too. And I found out my prayers had been answered: I have two older brothers. After sixteen years of having no one, I was given two big brothers and their whole tangle of friends turned family. If it is possible for me to get a family, it’s possible for you to beat any blocker.”

He throws the ball and towel down, leaps over, and pulls me into a crushing hug, crying, “Wiiiinniiiieee!” I laugh and pat him on the back.

“Hey,  _ baby crow _ , I’m fine. You can let go now.” I say the nickname in English without even thinking about it. “Really, Hinata.”

“But, Winnie.”

“Look, that story had a happy ending, right?” Kinda. It’s not actually over yet, but let’s not tell him that.

“Yeah.”

“Then, there’s no reason to be sad.”

“But…”

“Just think about what I mean. Impossible is a matter of perspective. It might be highly unlikely for you to be able to do that set, but nothing is ever impossible.”

“I’m still mad at Kageyama and Suga.”

“I know. That’s okay. Just don’t fight them anymore today. That’s a problem for when we get home, when you can really talk it over with them.” My eyes flick to the team getting ready to get back on the court. “Now, break is almost over, so pick yourself up and go play. Have some fun, watch the other team, and get some ideas for how you can improve.”

“I will! You’ll see!” He runs off, just like a little sunshine once again. When he sees Kageyama, the small fluff of cloud covering him makes itself known, but his usual happiness still shines around him. Good.


	24. Chapter 24

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi!  
> It's been a while... again. Sorry about that. I'm taking that 'twice weekly update' thing out of the summary because apparently, I'm incapable of sticking to a schedule.  
> Instead, I'm going to try to update once a week, though I won't be specifying a specific day. (I'm counting the start of a week as Sunday, so even if I updated Saturday, I could still update the very next day.)  
> In terms of this chapter, I edited it (for the hundredth time) not five minutes ago, but there's nothing I really want to change even though I kind of wanna shred the last few blocks of dialogue. It feels somewhat stilted to me, but it is an important conversation, so I'm leaving it in anyway. I've done what I can to make it as fluid as possible.  
> Barring that, I hope you like it!

We’re back home, with Ukai rushing around trying to get everyone to learn their new tricks. Hinata, for whatever reason, is working with the old coach Ukai and his class of little kids. Kageyama is tossing balls and trying to hit water bottles behind him, with poor Yachi putting the balls up for him. Noya is learning to set from the back line, with Tanaka, Daichi, Asahi, and Suga running up to spike it in a synchronized attack. When we go back two weeks from now for the next training camp, they’ll each have leveled up. But, and I can totally tell this is coming, their rhythm will be disrupted and they’ll have to re-learn how to play together all over again.

Totally worth it, though. They’re going to be amazing.

As we’re watching Yachi and Kageyama practice toss after toss, Kiyoko asks me a question without turning.

“What did you say to Hinata that day?” When I look confused, she adds, “at the training camp, when he and Kageyama started arguing.”

“Just that I believed he could do it. That nothing is impossible, even if it is improbable.”

“And he understood that?” I laugh at her incredulous look.

“Well, I didn’t put it in those terms. I just said that I thought he could do it if he tried enough and put in enough practice. That day, all he needed was someone to believe in him.”

“Can I get some advice, then?”

“If I can be of any help.”

“You know how Noya and Tanaka are with me. Is there a way I can get them to stop?”

“Well,” I giggle, “You’d probably have to magically become ugly.” She chuckles and I continue, “But seriously. They need to understand that you’re just a friend. It might be easiest if you were honest and told them you’re gay. They might ease up a bit once they realize you’re seriously not interested.”

“Do you think?”

“I think they’re two horny, teenage boys who have no clue how to approach a girl they have a crush on. They’ll probably continue with the protection thing and the attention thing, but they might be a little less crazy about it.”

“So, I’ll never be free.”

“Maybe not. Even as your friend, they’re going to want to help keep all the guys away from you. And they have no clue how to talk to girls, like I said. Just… teach them.”

“They have no problem with you.”

“Because I behave more like a guy. I might have to wear that stupid skirt to school, but the way I walk and talk leans more towards how a guy would. All my friends back home were guys. Literally, the football team.” She hums, mulling over my answer.

“I guess that makes sense. You know, you’re actually pretty good at giving advice.”

“You think?”

“Well, you’re impartial. You want the whole story before you say anything, which you proved talking to Hinata. But you still support us unconditionally, meaning your advice is tailored to help us achieve what we want. Unlike some people, who just give the best option without consideration for how it will affect us.”

“One of my foster parents- the longest one, actually- Her name was Joanie. She told me once that when giving advice, only do so when asked and always consider the feelings of the person you’re talking to. To always know the entire situation. And, she taught me that when you love, you love unconditionally. Nothing anyone on this team could ever do would make me hate you.”

“Not even murder?”

“Nope.” That’d be a touch hypocritical of me.

“Why are you such a good person? Jeeze. No one ever talks like you.”

“I just… Well, I was in the hospital a ton. I always had to write a journal, which I continued when I got out. Often, what I would write about were life lessons that the people around me were teaching me. By having to write about them, I was forced to figure out why people acted the way they did. So I learned a lot of life lessons far sooner than most kids would.”

“Would it be rude of me to ask why you were in the hospital?” I brush off her concern. Nope, I don’t care. I didn’t say it thinking she wouldn’t ask.

“You know I have PTSD, even if I never told you the name of it. I was there because of the extent to which it affected my life. Plus a sprinkling of other reasons. I just…” How do I explain this? “I was a kid when I was traumatized. I never exactly got over it. I just learned how to better deal with it, which was difficult when I was still in foster care. I didn’t have any constants because of that.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologize. Not your fault, right?” I crack a smile and, realizing she needs a topic change, “what do you think of the new girl?” She blushes and looks away. 

_ This is going to be good.  _


	25. Chapter 25

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here, to make up for my consistent flakiness, have a longer chapter.  
> I actually don't know why this one is so long aside from not wanting to break the flow when I was writing it.  
> I also want to say that if you ever notice that I published a chapter twice or put up one that doesn't seem to fit, please let me know. I've been pretty good about it so far, but I'm always scared I'm going to since I have to go so far back into my writing to find the right chapter.  
> Hope you like it!

Watching them sprint up that hill is… painful, to say the least. Seriously, could they have chosen a worse penalty? That hill is steep. But, then again, Hinata and Kageyama are always the first ones done and the only one really not doing well is Tsukishima, so maybe it’s not as bad as it looks. I’m pretty sure he just doesn’t want to try, after all.

“Hey, guys,” I call, “Take a short break.”

“Wiiiiniiie!” Hinata and Noya shriek, sprinting down the hill at me. I glare slightly and they slow down to a run. That’s probably the best I’ll ever get from them. 

The other teams aren’t getting this, just ours, so I hold up my bag when they reach me.

“I brought a treat, but you can’t tell the other teams, okay?” They all nod vigorously and I unzip the bag, revealing popsicles in their favorite flavors. 

“Why bother?” Tsukishima grumbles, but takes a bite of his anyway.

“Is it so hard to imagine that I actually like you guys?” I retort, just as softly. This really isn’t a conversation we need to be having in front of everyone, so keeping them from hearing is the best I can do.

“Sorry,” he chokes out. His eyes flicker over everyone on the team, making sure they’re a safe distance away. “You’ve given all of them advice. It helped them. Would you…”

“Help you out? Of course. Whenever you want, just come talk to me.” I give him a dry look. “Kinda what I’m here for, you know?”

“Well, yeah, but it’s just… You helped the shrimp and the King and Kiyoko said you helped her with something important, so I thought maybe you could help me, too.”

“Is this about what Yamaguchi said to you last night?” He looks surprised that I know about it. “He wasn’t exactly quiet, you know? And then you went and practiced with Bokuto and Kuroo. I just assumed you might still be struggling with that.”

“I wouldn’t call it struggling,” he huffs and I can’t help but snicker. Right, I forgot, Tsukishima is far too cool to struggle with anything.

“Whatever you want to call it. Find me on one of the breaks. I’d be happy to help.”

He nods and walks off. They’re all heading back inside, anyway, finished with their popsicles. I see him again at the very start of the next break. I’m in the kitchen, prepping ingredients for dinner while the other managers are busy with their teams.

“You said any break was okay,” he starts.

“It is.” I hold out a knife and gesture to the extra cutting board. “Come help me and we’ll talk.”

He takes it and sets about chopping an onion with fluid motions. He’s probably cooked before, I assume, unlike most of the kids on the team.

“What do you need?”

“I just don’t see the point of trying so hard. It’s just a club.”

“I think Yamaguchi answered that last night: pride. And, as Hinata told Yachi, you don’t need a reason to not want to lose.”

“I know that, but I still don’t get it.”

“Tell me the whole story, then. Because there must be a reason you don’t want to try. When did you stop caring?”

“When I found out my brother had been lying about being the ace on Karasuno’s team. He was on the team at the same time as the Little Giant.”

“He tried really, really hard, put in all the effort, but never quite got to play?”

“That’s right.” He sounds dejected and I realize why he picked an onion. If he got upset, you wouldn’t be able to tell the crack in his demeanor from what the onion had caused.

“I doubt your brother would call his training meaningless. Maybe he never played officially for Karasuno, but he learned from those who did. Does he still love volleyball?”

“Very much. He’s on his college team.”

“So, if he plays in college, did his high school training go to waste?”

“I guess not.”

“Sometimes, we don’t do things for instant gratification.”

“You mean, doing something to look back on it later.”

“Exactly.” I switch out veggies and start my usual anecdote. “When I was little, I made a string bracelet with beads, like what I saw other kids with. I didn’t have much fun making it because I knew my mom would get rid of it if she found it. I knew there was no point. So, one day while she was out, I put it in one of the fake rocks at the corner of my street. Ten years later, I went back to that town in the middle of one of the hardest times of my life and found that bracelet. The memory of making it is now one of the few happy ones I have from my childhood. I didn’t need the gratification of making it when I was a kid, I needed it when I was scared and alone and wishing I could change my past. I left the bracelet there. One day, I’ll go back to see it again if I need to.”

“I should do something I may not love in the moment because it could be something I’m glad I did in the future?”

“It’s up to you how much effort to put into volleyball. But how will you feel when Ukai pulls you off the starting line up because you put in less effort than Ennoshita or Narita or Kinoshita? How will you feel watching the team play from the warm-up box when they make it to Nationals knowing that you could be out there, living your brother’s dream, if you had just tried a little harder?” Oh man, I have so many anecdotes I could use for this and not spewing them all out is killing me.

His knife hits the cutting board with a heavy  _ thunk _ .

“You’re right. I would hate that.”

“Do you enjoy volleyball?”

“I do like the sport.”

“Do you feel more fired up now?” He gets this look on his face that seems like an almost-smile. 

“I do. I think I understand why they all care so much now. And why I should.” He turns and gives a little bow- emphasis on ‘little’. “Thank you for helping me understand what they meant.” They? Oh, Yamaguchi and the captains. Right.

“It’s no problem. Come back any time.” I check the clock. “Now, I think you have just enough time to make it back before the next game starts. Go.” 

He actually hurries off- actually hurries. Nothing in his external demeanor has changed, but he is already putting out more effort. Maybe I did actually help him.

“Winnie?” Kenma walks into the kitchen. “Do you mind if I sit in here?”

“Are you hiding from someone?”

“Our team doesn’t have a game right now, so I’m hiding from Lev.”

“There’s a stool over there.” I gesture to the corner with my knife.

“How are you doing?”

“Honestly, I’m doing better than I have been in a while.”

“The amount of people here isn’t bothering you too much?”

“Well, there’s a reason I’m not in the gym all day.”

“Oh.” He taps at the buttons of his game. “Your team is very chaotic.”

“They are,” I chuckle, “but they remind me of my brothers and their boyfriends.”

“Boyfriends?”

“Ah, yes, my brothers are gay.”

“Oh.” He taps a button and looks up at me. “You don’t think that’s bad?”

“Nope. It’s generally well-accepted in America. Not everyone takes it well, but the majority aren’t bothered by it.”

“It’s just…”

“Do you think you might be?”

“I don’t really know. I’m just not really interested in general. Except-” He cuts himself off before naming the person.

“Is there one specific person you like? But you’re not really interested in anyone else?” Kuroo. I bet Kuroo.

“Yes.”

“There’s a term for that. Demisexual. It comes down to only having feelings for someone after you’ve known them for a long time.” He hums. “Don’t like that answer?”

“Does gender have a role in that?”

“To be honest, I don’t know. I think that depends on you.” I push another group of veggies into a bowl and grab the next stack. “Is the person you like a guy?” It’s totally Kuroo.

“Well,” he hesitates, “yes.” More evidence to my theory it’s Kuroo.

“Does he know?”

“I don’t think so.”

“Does he like you?” Five bucks Kuroo likes him.

“I don’t know.”

“Then, it’s all up to you. Do you want to talk to him about it? Do you value your friendship more? Do you want to wait until you know whether or not he likes you back?” I swear it’s Kuroo.

“I think I’d rather wait.” Kenma flicks his thumb over a button and the game starts back up. Guess the conversation is over. I hope he got the information he wanted. He’s so reserved, I’m not really sure if I was able to help or not, but he doesn’t seem upset.

When he gets up later, he says, “thank you, Winnie.” Whether it’s for the hiding place or the advice, I don’t know.


	26. Chapter 26

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let's just forget this psuedo-hiatus ever happened....
> 
> On the flip side, I'll be putting up a new Kuroken in the next few weeks (the writing style there is pretty different; less blunt, in my opinion). It's a boarding school, slow-burn, enemies-to-lovers AU and I'm super proud of it. It'll only be three chapters and an epilogue, but the chapters are pretty long.

“Winnie, are you coming tonight?” I look up at Kuroo, somewhat confused. “The third year dinner.”

“Oh, right. I’m invited?”

“Everyone who’s a third year is,” he says with a nod.

“Then, sure.”

“Good.” His smile is a little disconcerting. I figure out why after dinner when we’re in one of the gyms.

They keep pushing drinks in front of me. I guess they think I’ve never drank before.

“Guys, you’re not going to succeed in getting me drunk.”

“Whaaaat?” Bokuto cries, “We’re not doing that!”

“Yes, yes, you are. Cut it out or I’ll go get my alcohol and we can see how you hold up with straight vodka.” Okay, maybe the alcohol has loosened my tongue a little, but really, it could be worse. I think.

“You have vodka here?” Daichi raises an eyebrow.

“Yes. I take it with me everywhere. It’s good for cleaning wounds and it’s easy to drink. I like whiskey better, but it’s not as good as a disinfectant.”

“Oh.” They seem to accept this explanation.

“If we had that, we could do shots and play Never Have I Ever,” Suga grins. Why did I ever think he was a nice person?

“I’ll grab it.” I run off, not really thinking. When I return, I set the bottle in the center of our group with a shot glass. It’s nearing eleven and they have practice tomorrow, so most of the group has already left. The only ones left are me, Suga, Daichi, Kuroo, Yaku, and Bokuto. “If you’ve done it, you put down a finger. Every five, you take a shot. Same as usual, right?”

Five rounds later, it’s starting to get pretty sexual and I have to ask.

“Okay, does age matter in this?”

“No! If you’ve done it, you take a shot,” Kuroo reminds me, using my words from earlier.

“Okay,” I say and take a shot, garnering some gasps. After that, the questions get kinkier and kinkier and I keep having to do shots because of those three days when I was ten. My own personal hell. Before I know it, I’m practically drunk enough to pass out.

I have one hell of a hangover in the morning, but so do the rest of the third years.

It isn’t until Kuroo leers over at me around eight, during a particularly dirty conversation, that I realize exactly how much of my torture I had revealed last night. I frown, turn on my heels, and leave the room.

I don’t really know how to explain the swirling emotions in me right now, but it’s somewhere between anger and sadness and I can feel an anxiety attack welling up in me.

“Hey,” Kuroo’s voice slams into me as I’m prepping breakfast, “I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable earlier.”

“No, I just didn’t realize how much I had revealed earlier.”

“You know none of us judged you, we just didn’t expect it. You don’t seem like…” He trails off, not wanting to say something derogatory. Then, Kenma’s voice comes from the doorway.

“You played Never Have I Ever last night?”

“We did,” Kuroo smirks, “Winnie didn’t do well.” Kenma’s face changes and he approaches, setting a hand on my bicep gently.

“Are you alright?”

“Fine,” I grumble.

“Why are you asking her that?”

“Well, she probably only played along because she didn’t want to tell you what happened.” Kenma sends a wicked glare at Kuroo, who flinches.

“What happened?” His voice is soft now, concerned.

“All that stuff… It happened when I was ten.”

“Oh. Oh, my gosh. No, you shouldn’t have done any of those shots.” He looks horribly guilty. “Shit.” 

“What?” Kuroo leans down and answers Kenma in a low whisper. “You have to tell her. You can’t let her be blindsided by that.”

“What?” My voice cracks like a whip, fear and anger swirling through me.

“We may have put some of the stuff on Snapchat. I’ll take it down immediately, and make sure they do, too.”

“I’ll make sure. You stay and make this right.” Kenma leaves and Kuroo walks over, taking a knife.

“Let me help.” Ten minutes later, he speaks again, “I really am sorry. We should have taken a hint when you asked about age.”

“I should’ve said something, or just not done the shots.”

“No, it’s our fault. I really am sorry.”

Akaashi’s head pokes in the door.

“Oh, good, you are here. I brought this one to apologize, too.” He shoves Bokuto through the door. “The coaches know you’re here. You’ll be getting more help from the others who were there last night. But not right now. They’ll be rotating through.” I nod my understanding and gesture for Bokuto to get to work. He does, after wailing out several apologies, and continues sniffling several minutes into his work.


End file.
